


Skeletor

by PenNameSmith



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Gen, One Shot Collection, Other, Skeletor is a robot who speaks in 80s Skeletor quotes, therapy for everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenNameSmith/pseuds/PenNameSmith
Summary: A series of short, feel-good, zero-stakes stories set after the finale.Entrapta needs Hordak’s help with a familiar-seeming robot. Wrong Hordak hosts a therapy group. Catra and Adora are there too. So are Scorpia and Perfuma. Double Trouble is definitely hiding somewhere. Bow and Glimmer are in the holiday special. Everyone gets to be friends and talk about their feelings. Myaah!
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Double Trouble/Wrong Hordak (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 187
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out being written around the joke “What if Skeletor entered the SPoP universe as a harmless bot who speaks entirely in 80s Skeletor quotes?” and quickly became a series of short stories about the Ex-Horde crew going to therapy together. I hope you enjoy them.

Hordak set down his soldering iron and chanced a look out the window of Entrapta’s Bright Moon workshop. The wind had grown chilly outside, but citizens in heavy coats were still hanging lights and bits of shiny paper on every available surface. This had been going on for over an hour now. 

“Tell me, Entrapta,” Hordak said, resting his chin on steepled fingers. “Why is _winter_ a cause for celebration in these parts?”

Entrapta, seated at the workbench next to him, looked up from her welding. “Adora’s birthday is coming up! Queen Glimmer declared it a national holiday. And the decorations were Catra’s idea.” She produced a sprig of holly and held it out with one ponytail. “You can help put some up if you want!”

Hordak hesitated. “I… no _thank_ you?” he ventured, trying out his newest social skill. 

“That’s what I said you’d say when Bow asked me!” Entrapta stuffed the holly back into one of her many pockets. “Oh, but there is something else you can help me with! Here, meet Skeletor!”

Hordak started. “Meet _who?_ ” he asked, apprehensively. 

“It’s what I nicknamed my new project!” Entrapta jumped up and scuttled to a far corner of the workshop. With a flourish, she yanked a cloth off of something slouched between piles of spare parts.

Sitting in a chair under the cloth was one of Horde Prime’s old drone robots. Entrapta had stripped the armor away from its limbs and face, so that now it looked like a barrel-chested stick figure. In place of the angular faceplate there was something that resembled a human skull with a goofy frown. Entrapta flipped a switch and it shuddered to life.

“I tried to make it so he could talk. But the pitch for the voice box is all messed up, so — ”

“Myaah!” the robot cried suddenly in a nasal tone, before raising both fists in a gesture of impotent frustration. 

“...So he keeps doing that.”

“I see.” Hordak leaned over to look more closely at the robot. “And was there a… _purpose_ for this exercise?”

Entrapta shrugged her hair. “Well, Wrong Hordak said he wanted an assistant for his clone therapy group, and I thought, hey! I’ve got a spare robot you can use! Can you believe it?”

Hordak permitted himself a smile. “I have no doubt that is _exactly_ how events transpired, my dear.” He turned his attention back to the robot. “Hello, ‘Skeletor.’”

“You’re a boob!” the robot replied. It chuckled awkwardly. “Meheheheh.” 

“Okay, so the personality needs some work too,” Entrapta said. “But maybe you could help with that, Hordak! You can be like Skeletor’s mentor!”

“I don’t know about _that,_ ” Hordak said, uncertainly. 

“I could write a _book_ about what you don’t know!” the robot piped up. “Meheheheheh.” 

Hordak blinked. “How droll. Well, I’m sure that with _considerable_ work we’ll be able to repair it together.”

“No time for that!” Entrapta chirped. “I promised Wrong Hordak you’d drop him off in twenty minutes. You’re going to have so much fun!”

“You _what?_ Why am I meant to deliver this ridiculous thing?” 

Hordak shot his eyes back to Entrapta. In the time since he’d looked away she had donned a winter coat and hefted two small fir trees in her hair.

“Because I told Bow I’d help with the birthday decorations after I said you’d say you didn’t want to!” Entrapta had a wide smile on. “I’ll see you later tonight Hordak, your imperfections make you beautiful, you’re gonna do great, _bye-eee!_ ” she called out in one manic breath as she bustled out the door. 

Hordak had a finger poised in the air and had opened his mouth to say something, but the door was already shut. He lowered his hand and pursed his lips. 

“Myaah!” Skeletor said, and shook his fists again. 

* * *

Wrong Hordak stood at the front of a room filled with about two dozen near-identical clones, leading breathing exercises. 

“That is correct, brothers! Breathe _in_ positivity! Breathe _out_ the insidious deceptions of Horde Prime!” 

Hordak watched this from the hall doorway while Skeletor wobbled behind him, leaning on a discarded curtain rod like a walking staff. Just as he decided to retreat back to the workshop, Wrong Hordak noticed him and ushered them in, smiling hugely. 

“Brother Hordak! It is an honor! Welcome!” Wrong Hordak turned his attention to the clones, who were all sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Brothers, this is Hordak! He was the first of us to name himself and resist the cruel lies of Horde Prime!”

“Glory to Hordak!” one of the clones cried cheerfully. “Hordak knows all!”

“No, no,” Wrong Hordak corrected, gently. “Hordak is wise and handsome, but he does _not_ know all, for _none_ of us know all.”

“Glory to Hordak, who knows _some_ things!” the clone tried again. Wrong Hordak nodded in approval, and the others cheered. 

Coming further into the room, Hordak realized that not all of the attendees were clones. Sitting in a row among their ranks were a towering scorpion woman, a flowered princess, She-Ra’s human host, and a cat. 

“Fools!” Skeletor cackled, and Hordak wished very much that he could fall down a trapdoor into a bottomless abyss. 

This was not to be. “Ooh! Ooh! Hordak!” Scorpia called out, waving her claw in the air. “Hey, Hordak! It’s us! Over here! Come sit with us!” 

“Scorpia. Princess Perfuma. Adora. Adora’s girlfriend,” Hordak greeted as he moved towards them. “And what brings you to this fine meeting place today?” 

“Noble Perfuma is giving a guest lesson on meditation today!” Wrong Hordak said, sparkling in delight. 

“Perfuma invited me!” Scorpia added. 

“I actually come here every week,” Adora admitted. “I find Wrong Hordak’s self care tips to be helpful, and stuff.”

“I am here under _duress_ ,” Catra grumbled, casting a look at Adora. “And because you made the _cute face_ when you asked me.” She looked back at Hordak. “So why are _you_ here?” 

“I — ” Hordak started. 

“Brother Hordak has brought the liberator Entrapta’s new helper for us!” Wrong Hordak interrupted. He gestured to Skeletor. 

“You’re all a bunch of bumbling boobs!” Skeletor said. 

Hordak sighed. This was _not_ the time for a skeleton to be causing civil unrest. He put a hand on the robot’s shoulder and guided them both into a sitting position. 

“I will not have you disrupt my brother’s work like this,” Hordak said firmly. “Now then. Entrapta commanded us to... _have_ _fun_ , and that is what we shall do.” 

“You mean get in fights?” Skeletor asked. 

“No, fun.” 

“Fights _are_ fun,” Skeletor whined. “I like fights.”

Hordak ran a hand through his hair and took several deep breaths while counting to ten. “Princess Perfuma, I believe it would be beneficial if you began your meditation instruction now,” he said. 

* * *

One hour later, a peaceful calm had descended across the entire room. Even Skeletor’s frown seemed more relaxed. Clones stood up and mingled as they passed out of the room in small groups. Scorpia left hand in claw with Perfuma while Adora and Catra jogged down the hallway toward a waving Glimmer and Bow. 

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Skeletor complained. “I don’t like to feel good! I like to feel evil!” 

“Thank you for visiting us today, brother!” Wrong Hordak said, shaking Hordak’s hand effusively. “You are welcome to return to this place whenever you wish!” 

“I may have to,” Hordak replied, while looking at Skeletor. The robot was now covering its face and moaning quietly. “If only to keep our boneheaded friend here in line.” 

The significance of what he said did not strike him until some time after that. 

* * *

Later, in the room that they shared, Hordak looked Entrapta in the eyes and asked, “Did you… _engineer_ this sequence of events?” 

“Of course not! It would take some kind of mad genius schemer person to do something like that,” Entrapta deflected. “And anyway, I heard you did great at group today. I want to come with next time!”

She hugged her lab partner closer, with her hands and her hair. “Oh, and happy She-Ra Day.” 

“Happy She-Ra Day,” Hordak relented. 

“Myaah!” said Skeletor. 


	2. Welcome Back, Skeletor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hordak wants to talk to Catra about something. She-Ra does battle with Skeletor.

Another day, another Ex-Horde Therapy Group meeting. 

Today the clones were helping to arrange a large circle of comfortable chairs, under Wrong Hordak’s enthusiastic direction. Perfuma, whose meditation lesson the previous week had proven popular enough to warrant an encore, centered herself while Scorpia did her best to shuffle a deck of yoga cards by her side. More clones trickled in through the hallway door every few minutes. 

Catra watched this from her vantage point in the back of the room, where she was helping to set up the snack table. Beside her, Entrapta’s latest pet project - a reprogrammed Horde drone she’d nicknamed ‘Skeletor’ - set out more food while making various nasal utterances. 

“Meheheh. You’ve done your job well, Catra!” Skeletor declared, surveying her work. Suddenly he snapped to attention. “Gah! It’s that muscle-bound female, She-Ra!”

Catra followed his gaze to the other end of the narrow table, where Adora had claimed an entire tray of cheese cubes for herself and was now eating them by the handful. At Skeletor’s approach she made a small sound of panic and hurried away toward the circle of chairs, hunched protectively over her plate. 

A giggle escaped from Catra and she turned away from the scene, only to be met by an enormous looming shadow looking down at her. 

“Oh! Hordak!” Her tail puffed and she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide it under the tablecloth. “Didn’t see you there, buddy. You, uh, want some honeydew?” She held the plate up like a shield. 

Hordak accepted a piece of the offered fruit and regarded her mildly. “Thank you. I hope Skeletor isn’t bothering you too much?”

Catra shrugged. “Nah. His laugh is weird and he keeps calling Melog ‘Clawdeen,’ but he’s harmless enough.” 

“You should also avoid his doomberry pies,” Hordak advised, casting an eye toward the food. “I am… not displeased to see you here today, you know. I was uncertain if you would return after your first visit.” 

“I could say the same about you.” Catra looked back towards the chairs, where Skeletor and Adora’s disagreement over the cheese plate was heating up. Entrapta had appeared between them and was holding the two warring parties apart with her hands, while her hair fidgeted with Skeletor’s circuitry and snuck bites of cheese. “I guess we both have our, uh, significant princesses to blame for that. Plus, it’s actually kind of nice to talk about stuff with people who get it.” 

“Indeed,” Hordak agreed, looking in Entrapta’s direction. “Also, I… had another motive in seeking you out today. I wish to apologize to you. Catra.” 

He said her name awkwardly - the first time he’d spoken it aloud since their imprisonment on Prime’s ship - and Catra felt her bearings bouncing away. 

“Um.  _ You  _ want to apologize to  _ me?  _ Did you forget about, y’know, the whole Beast Island thing?”

“No,” Hordak growled, and for a moment his eyes grew sharper before softening again. “But nevertheless. I was a poor leader. And I caused you pain. And I am sorry for that.”

Catra raised her eyebrows, then realized that he was reading off a piece of folded paper. “Did somebody put you up to this?”

Hordak huffed. “Hardly. Princess Perfuma  _ merely  _ suggested that it might behoove me to admit my wrongs and make amends with those I have harmed.” He looked away and shuffled his feet. “Scorpia may have helped somewhat with the wording.”

“No offense, but if that’s the road you wanna go down, you’re going to have a lot of amending to do.”

Hordak nodded. “Yes, well. It seemed as good a place as any to start.” He pocketed his paper. “The Princess Alliance has seen fit to forgive us our past lives in the Horde, and it would be disrespectful if I did not attempt to live up to that.”

Catra chuckled. “Hordak, the Alliance forgave us because nobody was in the mood to start a war with Dryl, Plumeria, and She-Ra at the same time.” She caught his expression. “But you’re right. So, uh, thanks. I’m sorry too. For everything. For whatever that means.” 

“More than you may realize,” Hordak said, smiling softly. He glanced at something past her shoulder. “Excuse me. This may require my assistance.” 

Hordak hurried off in the direction of Entrapta and Skeletor. The robot was now being held aloft in the scientist’s hair, limbs flailing wildly. He shook his fists. 

“Dolts! Halfwits! Bunglers!” Skeletor cried. 

“Now come on Skeletor, play nice!” Entrapta cajoled. 

“I am  _ not  _ nice!” Skeletor shot back. “Blast that She-Ra! Always meddling! Myaah!”

Hordak reached them and began to gently extricate the peeved robot from his partner’s plumes of hair. Catra watched, smiling in spite of herself, until something blonde popped up into her field of vision and she started back with a yelp. 

“Hey Cathra!” Adora said, mouth full. “You want thome cheethe?” She held out the cheese plate. There were one and a half cubes remaining, along with some crumbs. 

“I’m good, thanks,” Catra replied, regaining her calm, and her smile. She took the plate from Adora and replaced it with one of her hands. “So, I think Hordak just tried to be nice to me?” 

“Oh, yeah, I totally put him up to it,” Adora said, flicking a cheese crumb off her shoulder. “I think he went to Perfuma and Scorpia for extra advice though. Did it go okay? He’s really trying, I swear.”

Something in Catra’s chest melted, and she laughed heartily. “C’mon, Adora. Let’s go join the circle before all the good seats are taken.”

* * *

Of course, all the good seats were taken. Catra and Adora wound up sitting next to Skeletor, who was frowning with his arms crossed beside Hordak. 

“Behave,” Hordak hissed, while Entrapta hung off the side of her chair to make eyes at him. 

“You miserable excuse for a villain,” Skeletor muttered. But he behaved. 

“Welcome, everyone!” Wrong Hordak chimed from the center of the circle. “Who is ready to develop coping strategies for the processing of traumatic experiences?”

Catra and Hordak shared a sidelong glance. They were, perhaps, more ready than they realized.

“Myaah!” Skeletor said, again. 


	3. My Friend, My Skeletor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Hordak talk over coffee. Skeletor has a pleasant day.

Chattering excitedly about near-death experiences, the last of the clones strolled out of the hallway door at the end of another Ex-Horde Therapy Group session. Wrong Hordak watched them all go and waved cheerfully. 

“I am _so sorry_ about that,” Perfuma groaned, next to him. She was covered in twigs, moss, and mud, and leaned exhaustedly on Scorpia’s arm. “I didn’t realize the Whispering Woods would provide quite so... _hostile_ an environment for a walking meditation. Or that so many of the brothers would wander away from the group. _Repeatedly_. No matter _how_ many times I reminded them that they could have become emotionally dysregulated, or eaten.” 

“Nonsense, noble Perfuma!” Wrong Hordak reassured her, sparkling happily. “We have learned _much_ today about the value of understanding our responses to uncomfortable feelings, and also monsters.” 

“And Adora got everyone back just fine!” Scorpia added, patting Perfuma’s head. “I mean, I think she did? I hope she did. I didn’t exactly count. I’m _pretty sure_ we got them all. Wrong Hordak?”

While Wrong Hordak counted carefully on his fingers, Adora wrapped up leftovers from the snack table. She, too, was covered in forest detritus, and still felt some of the lightheadedness that came after turning back from She-Ra. It had been an _eventful_ day, to say the least. Putting away the room alongside her were Catra, Hordak, Entrapta, and ‘Skeletor,’ a spindly former Horde drone Entrapta was currently refurbishing. So far the results had been mixed. 

“Idiots! Foolish mortals! If I’m not there, nothing is done right!” Skeletor whined, as he stacked chairs. “Myaah!”

Adora snorted, and idly picked at some of the leftover food. Her eyes flitted to where Catra was chatting shyly with an exuberant Entrapta, and she felt her heart swell. Despite the disarray, her world was healing. 

“Hey Adora!” Catra called, looking her way suddenly. “I’ve gotta, uh, talk to Entrapta about something real quick. Right outside. We’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

Adora flashed a thumbs up as she chewed her way through some stale bagels. While Catra ushered Entrapta into the hallway, Hordak glanced in Adora’s direction and caught her eye. He left Skeletor with a broom and dustpan and approached her at the table. 

“Your bravery and strength were most impressive today,” Hordak commented, pouring himself a cup of something hot from a copper carafe. Despite his looming stature, he seemed smaller and humbler in Adora’s presence. “We are… indebted, once again, to your kindness and protection. Perhaps you should, as the people of this planet say, take it easy for a moment.” He gestured to a free chair and offered a second cup of the drink he’d gotten himself. Adora accepted both and plopped down with a relieved sigh. 

“Thanks. Today was an adventure all right,” Adora agreed, slouching in her seat. She sniffed at the dark, steaming liquid in her cup. “What _is_ this stuff, anyway?”

“It is of my own invention,” Hordak said, with a hint of pride. He sat in another chair next to her. “The distilled essence of roasted coffee plant seeds. It contains restorative properties. The taste is naturally bitter, but you may add sugar if you wish.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Adora nodded, emptying most of the provided container of sweetener into her cup. Her sword flashed, and then she was stirring the drink with a tiny golden spoon. “You weren’t half bad today either, you know. I liked what you said about learning from failures.”

“Mm.” 

An awkward silence stretched between them for several seconds. Adora scratched her head and a few leaves fell to the floor. 

“You know, I’m proud of you.” 

It was Adora who said it. Hordak looked at her in surprise, but she kept going before he could say anything.

“I know what it’s like to start a whole new life after only knowing the Horde. And what it’s like to not be trusted at first.” She paused, considering this. “I mean, I know it’s _kind of_ different since I’m She-Ra and everyone was cool with me after like a day, and _you’re_ the leader of the whole Etherian Horde and got brainwashed by Prime and some people still despise you even after you rebuilt Salineas and cleaned up Beast Island, and…”

She trailed off. Hordak’s expression was impassive. 

“Uh, but I’m getting off track. My point is, it’s hard to keep doing the right thing after pain like that. And you are. Um, doing. The right thing, I mean.” Flustered, Adora took a generous gulp of her drink. Her eyebrows shot up and her pupils dilated by several centimeters. “Oh. Wow. Wow. This is… wow. You want to go for a run? I feel like I could go for a run all of a sudden.”

Hordak found his face softening. “I believe I understand what you are trying to say.”

Adora, caffeinated, was not listening. “I mean, look at this guy!” She gestured vaguely at Skeletor. “He’s ridiculous!”

“Behold my mystic cage of bones!” Skeletor cackled, as he emptied his dustpan into a trash bin. 

“Most people would have thrown that thing out in the garbage,” Adora went on, rapidly tapping her feet. 

“Entrapta did not,” Hordak countered, smiling.

“But you just… talk to it!” Adora threw her hands up, spilling some of her coffee. Skeletor saw the new mess and groaned in annoyance, fetching a mop. “You talk to it, and you’re patient with it, and you reason with it,” Adora said. “Even when it’s not being reasonable.”

“Meheheheheh! Now we’re playing in _my_ dimension! See if you can stand up to my _stun-ray!_ ” Skeletor cried, mopping the floor. 

“The mending process does not always make a great deal of sense,” Hordak conceded. “But we must be brave.”

“Speaking of,” Adora abruptly cut in. She took another huge swig of her drink. “You remember that _thing_ I asked you about the other day? When Catra wasn’t here?”

Hordak quirked a brow. “I recall.”

“Good, because I’ve got blueprints.” Adora pulled a stack of scribbled-on paper napkins from her pocket. She held them up for Hordak. “Do you think you can do it?”

Hordak plucked a napkin from the stack and studied it. “Yes. This should be well within my scientific capabilities. I will contact you when construction is complete.” He hesitated. “Thank you for… trusting me, Adora. You are… an admirable role model.”

Adora smiled back. 

“I’ve done it! I’ve triumphed at last!” Skeletor crowed as he finished cleaning. 

Catra came back into the room at that moment, trailing an excitedly chattering Entrapta. When she saw Adora, her eyes bugged and she clamped a hand over the scientist’s mouth. 

“That’s right, Entrapta!” Catra said, very loudly. “Science _is_ very scientific! I couldn’t agree more!” She paused, casting her eyes back and forth. “And. Thank you for talking to me about, um… science. I respect your interest in this topic, because we are friends.” 

Catra coughed. 

“Aw, thanks,” Entrapta beamed, giving Catra a light pat on the head. “Hordak! I’ve got _lots_ of new ideas for experiments after today! Listen to this!” 

She and Hordak immediately fell into a world of their own, filled with trajectories and equilibriums. Adora smiled fondly at the pair and stood shakily to her feet, accepting a helping hand from Catra. She wasn’t sure if her heartbeat was racing because of the coffee, or because of the closeness of Catra’s face. But she felt fantastic. 

* * *

Later, in their laboratory, Hordak eyed Entrapta over a paper napkin schematic. “It may amuse you to know the favor Adora asked of me today,” he began. 

“Guess what Catra wants me to build?” Entrapta blurted out at the same time. 

“She needs me to make her a ring,” they both finished together. 

There was silence. The two mad scientists gaped at each other for a moment, and then the lab was filled with the ringing sound of their guffaws. 

“Can we observe the reaction?” Entrapta squealed. “ _Please?_ ” 

“That would be rude, my dear.”

“Okay, okay,” she pouted. “But. Are we going to tell them?”

“Of course not! That would corrupt the data.”

Entrapta clapped happily. “Oh, this is going to be so much _fun!_ Do you think we should make them matching, like ours?” She tapped at a purple First Ones crystal that hung on a pendant around her neck, the twin to Hordak’s own. “Ooh! Or what if we made ones that turn into robots?” 

Hordak, who still felt laughter bubbling up from inside him, leaned in to be closer to his imperfect, beautiful partner. His imagination burned. They had much to scheme. 

“Ahh,” said Skeletor. “I can’t remember when I’ve had a more pleasant day!” 


	4. Flowers for Skeletor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hordak and Entrapta return to the Fright Zone. Perfuma gets a few things cleared up.

Entrapta and Hordak strolled into what had, once upon a time, been the heart of the Fright Zone. Now it was covered in lush greenery, and sunlight shone through the open spaces in the ceiling. 

Entrapta was riding cross-legged on top of Emily, and gazed in wonder at everything around her. Hordak walked at her side, watching her expression warmly, while supporting the shuffling footsteps of the Horde drone she’d rebuilt and named ‘Skeletor.’

“Am I supposed to be frightened?” Skeletor asked, incredulous, taking in the rebuilt ruins. 

Hordak hushed him, but it was true that nearly all of the horror had gone from the place. Flowers bloomed on every vine. Soft moss covered the floors. The cushioned red throne in the center of it all rested atop a _much_ shorter set of steps, and it was currently occupied by a giddy scorpion princess who was bouncing in her seat and waving. 

“Entrapta! Hordak! Hi! Welcome! Thank you for coming! Oh, it’s so good to have you visit here!” Scorpia bubbled. 

“Hello Scorpia! And also Perfuma!” Entrapta hollered as they approached. The Princess of Plumeria, tending to a patch of roses sprouting on the side of Scorpia’s throne, gave a little wave and smiled awkwardly in reply. 

“Skeletor has come for you!” Skeletor declared. 

Hordak flushed in embarrassment and quickly pushed the robot away. He bowed deeply before Scorpia. “ _Ahem_. Thank you for inviting us here, Princess. How is reconstruction progressing in the New Scorpion Kingdom?”

“Oh, no, Hordak,” Scorpia admonished, smiling. “I’m an _official princess_ now. That means you have to call my kingdom what I named it.”

“Of course. My apologies,” Hordak replied. “Tell me, how are things in…” His face appeared to visibly strain. “...The _Delight_ Zone?”

“Oh, just peachy!” Scorpia beamed back. “We’re working on turning all the garbage incinerators into pottery kilns. And those hydro-electric generators you helped us install? Wow!” She tapped her claw-tips guiltily. “Which, uh, is actually part of the reason I asked you here. See, one of them broke down, and…”

“Have no fear!” Entrapta announced, hefting an overstuffed toolbox. “We’ll get to the bottom of it!” 

Scorpia sighed in relief. “Oh, thank you! And it really is nice to have you visit since we started redecorating. There’s so much less, uh, crushing brutalism. And Perfuma is putting flowers _everywhere!_ ” 

“I like them! They’re so pretty!” Entrapta gushed. “What do you think, Hordak?” she asked, plopping a daisy crown on his head. 

Hordak made a noise. 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Perfuma spoke up suddenly, standing stiffly at the arm of Scorpia’s throne. “We should show Entrapta to the power generators before it gets too late. After all, it is a rare honor to host the Princess of Dryl and… her royal consort.”

“Not that rare,” Entrapta said, unoffended. “You saw us at therapy group yesterday.” 

“A _rare honor_ that we would hate to besmirch with an excess of small talk!” Perfuma insisted. Her eye twitched, slightly. “Right this way, please!” 

* * *

They walked along bridges that had once looked over belching smokestacks and polluted junkyards. Now the view was of farmland under clear blue skies. 

“We’ve been growing _vegetables!_ ” Scorpia boasted, sweeping her claw across it all. “And to help the plants grow, we started keeping an apiary for local pollinators in one of the old bugshell towers.”

“Bee-People!” Skeletor shouted in delight. 

“This is _incredible!_ ” Entrapta cried, standing up on Emily to get a better look. “Hordak, look how much they’ve repurposed! It’s like a completely different place!”

“It is,” Hordak agreed, and he did not sound entirely displeased about it. A calm smile played at his lips. 

* * *

Soon enough, they reached their destination. In an open-ceilinged space, several machines the size of small houses sat astride a clear-flowing artificial river. This place, like the others, was covered in verdant and blooming plant life. The sun shone down on a forest in the heart of a factory. 

One of the large machines was not making noise, and its lights had gone dark. Scorpia rapped on it with a claw, and it made a hollow clanging sound. 

“This is the, ah, problem area,” Scorpia said sheepishly. “It’s — ”

“Destroyed! Totally destroyed!” Skeletor interrupted. He rushed forward and peered at the silent machine. “What’s that? The fusion alarm? The main drive is about to explode!” 

“No, Skeletor. Nothing is going to explode,” Hordak chided, as Scorpia hyperventilated. He guided the robot away from the generator. “I need you to look after Emily while Entrapta diagnoses the source of the malfunction. Emily will be recording, so do not misbehave.”

“I had anticipated that, bat-ears,” Skeletor grumbled, but dutifully shepherded the spherical bot away from the group toward a cluster of trees with bright turquoise fruit. “We’ll be in the banshee jungle!”

“I’ll beep you when I need you, Emily!” Entrapta called cheerfully as she spread out her tools. She grabbed Scorpia. “All right. I need to get topside of this machine to find out what the problem is, and I’m gonna need your electrical magic to run some tests. So, upsy-daisy!” 

“Oh, wow, hangout time!” Scorpia exclaimed. “That’s great, because I just got a new board game I wanted to tell you about, it’s called — whoop!” 

Her words were cut off as Entrapta hoisted her in her hair and scaled the side of the generator like a purple spider. 

Perfuma watched them go and then looked, finally, at Hordak. She coughed. “So,” she said. 

Hordak waited. 

“...How’s Wrong Hordak?” Perfuma asked eventually, reaching for one of their commonalities. 

“Quite well,” Hordak answered. He began to sort some of Entrapta’s tools. “He is very grateful that you’ve started helping him with the Ex-Horde Therapy Group, by the way.” 

“Oh. Well, I’m glad that you’ve been… going to it,” Perfuma said. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “The Princess Alliance wasn’t entirely in agreement about what to do with you at first, you know.”

“I am aware,” Hordak replied, flatly. 

From the trees, Skeletor emerged, covered in colorful flowers and desperately clinging to an unhindered Emily. 

“Stop! You shall not escape!” Skeletor protested. “Your puny lasers mean nothing to me!”

“Speaking of the group,” Perfuma continued. “I think this is actually the first time I’ve had a chance to talk to you outside of it since all the official business when the war ended.” 

Hordak’s eyes narrowed. “Are you driving at something, Princess?” he asked, evenly. Quietly, he practiced a breathing exercise that he had, in fact, learned from Perfuma herself. 

“Your hatred of me will work in my favor!” Skeletor wailed from behind them, trailing Emily by a vine. 

Perfuma pouted and put her hands on her hips. “Look, just… You had _better_ not do anything to hurt Entrapta, okay?”

“...What?” said Hordak. 

“What?” said Skeletor. 

Perfuma crossed her arms. “I _know_ you’re a good guy now, but that doesn’t make you a… a good _guy_. Entrapta _really_ likes you. If you break her heart, some _very_ powerful people will be _very_ upset with you. Just so you know.” She struck what was probably meant to be an intimidating pose. 

Hordak finally turned to face her. His expression was one of shocked surprise. “You are concerned about Entrapta’s emotional safety with _me?_ ” he asked. “I understand _you_ are the one who kept her on a leash.”

“I — ! That was — !” Perfuma faltered, raising a finger. “...Not my finest moment,” she finally admitted, deflating. “But I swear, we all only want her to be okay. There are some things Entrapta just doesn’t understand.” 

Hordak seemed rather taken aback by this. Politely, yet firmly, he said, “I assure you, Entrapta understands everything she needs to perfectly well. Often better than I do.” 

He looked upwards in her direction, and the sun seemed to brighten on his face. “I… respect her. Incalculably. It is my privilege to learn from her.” 

“There is the answer to my evil needs!” Skeletor said, from somewhere. 

Now it was Perfuma’s turn to seem stunned. “You really do love her,” she murmured, and couldn’t help letting her eyes shift to where Scorpia sat and laughed in the sunshine. 

Hordak followed her line of sight knowingly. “Entrapta is not the only one you are worried about,” he deduced after a few moments. 

Perfuma fretted. “Scorpia just has such a big heart!” she said, helplessly. “And she’s new to being a princess. She got yanked around a lot with… with the Horde, and I don’t want her to be taken advantage of like that again.”

Hordak considered this seriously. After a long pause that was interrupted several times by the distant sound of Entrapta’s hammering and various exclamations of delight, he ventured, “Perhaps Scorpia understands more than she appears to as well. She was exceptional, if unusual, while in… my employment. I expect she will only continue to grow and flower in her new position.” He offered a friendly hand to Perfuma’s shoulder. “Especially with someone who loves her at her side.” 

At this, Perfuma blushed furiously and quickly strode away from Hordak. “Hey, do you need anything from us up there?” She called to Scorpia and Entrapta. “A big vine-ladder maybe? Or some kind of robot stuff?”

“Bee-People?” Skeletor offered. 

Perfuma finally seemed to notice him. “Why _is_ Skeletor here, anyway?” she asked, turning to Hordak. 

“Ah. This is to help improve his work for the therapy group,” said Hordak. “Entrapta wanted to provide him with more exposure to social situations.”

“That seems… contrived. But I’ll allow it.”

“Any more questions?” Skeletor asked. 

Before anyone could reply, Entrapta slid back to the ground, with Scorpia in her wake. “I’m gonna need some more parts from the ship!” she announced brightly. “Hordak, can you try to balance the dynamo while I’m gone?”

“Certainly. That will allow us to safely remove the alternator.”

“Exactly what I was thinking! And then we can connect the charging coils to the…” 

“Excitation field,” Hordak finished, sharing her smile. 

Perfuma and Scorpia traded baffled looks. 

Entrapta tweaked one of Hordak’s ears. “You get it!” she giggled. “You’re doing great, Hordikins! Back in a minute!” And with that, she was off again. 

“‘Hordikins,’” Perfuma repeated, rapidly losing all composure. Beside her, Scorpia made a tiny, ecstatic squeak.

Hordak turned to face them both in mute horror, suddenly realizing that he was still wearing the flower crown Entrapta had placed on his head earlier. 

“I am _not_ discussing this,” he intoned, but he could tell from the looks on the princesses’ faces that this particular trial was far from over. 

“If that’s the way you want it,” Skeletor said, “Then that’s the way you get it!” 


	5. Three Courageous Hearts (and Skeletor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Super Pal Trio reunites for an important mission. Skeletor tries to take over the world.

Entrapta sat in the middle of her Bright Moon laboratory, surrounded by scrap metal and alone, for the moment, except for the bot whose guts and wiring she was currently putting back together. 

“My strength is returning!” the robot boasted. It was one of Horde Prime’s old drones, reprogrammed and repurposed. Entrapta had named it ‘Skeletor.’

“Almost finished!” Entrapta said. “Once I’ve got you welded back up, we can test out all the improvements I made to your social programming!”

“Meheheheh! The whole galaxy will soon fall before the awesome might of Skeletor!” Skeletor gloated. “Hail Skeletor!” He raised both fists toward the ceiling and shook them emphatically. 

Entrapta tutted and sparked her welding torch. “No, not like that. You aren’t meant for galactic conquest anymore,” she reminded him. “This is so you can be a nicer helper for Wrong Hordak’s therapy group, remember?”

“Listen, I am _not_ nice, I am _not_ kind, and I am _not_ wonderful!” 

Entrapta smiled and patted the robot on the shoulder with her hair. “You are, though.” 

Skeletor made a whining sound and seemed about to protest, but at that moment a knock came from outside. Ignoring the offended robot, Entrapta jumped to her feet and vaulted across the lab to open the door. 

She saw the visitor on the other side and immediately brightened. “Oh! Hello, Catra. Did you come about that ring you wanted me to make? I’m almost finished with — ”

“Shh! Not so _loud!_ ” Catra hissed. She pushed Entrapta back into the lab, shut the door, and gave an exaggerated glance in either direction before continuing. “Adora’s eyes and ears could be _anywhere_. I want this to be a _surprise_ , remember?” 

“Ah. Of course. A surprise.” Entrapta twiddled her hair and looked toward Hordak’s side of the lab, where he’d been working on a remarkably similar and equally top-secret jewelry commission for Adora. “Well, my current data indicates she _definitely_ doesn’t suspect a thing, so I think you can relax.”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “Good enough. Anyway, _no_ , I’m not here about that. I’m here because you asked me to help with your ridiculous robot, for some reason.” 

“Oh, right!” Entrapta hair-walked back to the workbench where she’d left Skeletor. “I need an outside observer to test his interpersonal skills. Skeletor, say good morning to Catra. _Politely._ ”

“Have you come to surrender to the forces of Skeletor?” Skeletor demanded. 

Catra raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, so it’s a work in progress,” Entrapta admitted. “But it’s so great that you’re here! I hardly ever get to see you outside of therapy group.” 

“What? Sure you do.” Catra took a slouching seat next to Skeletor and searched her memories. “You and Hordak came on that double date with us, right? That went… well? And I mean, group counts. I thought I’d hate it at first, but it’s really nice to see everyone each week. I feel comfortable opening up about stuff there.” 

“Plus there are tiny snacks!” Entrapta agreed. “Oh, yes, and feelings. Being discussed in a structured and constructive manner. That’s more of what you were talking about, isn’t it?” 

“No, the snacks are definitely a big draw.” 

The two women shared a laugh, and in that moment Catra felt a little part of herself getting just a tiny bit better. Entrapta hummed happily, while a loose strand of her hair finished putting Skeletor back together. 

“This better be worth it,” Skeletor griped. 

“Oh, but it will!” Entrapta grinned and made an excited noise. “Now, time for the next test! Skeletor, run relationship-building subroutine eighty-five.” 

Abruptly, Skeletor sat up, made a strange nasal outcry, and bounded off the workbench. “Join forces with _you?_ Meheheheheh. Never!”

He beat his chest and stamped on the floor. “I am the most evil! The universe will be mine to rule! Mine! Mine! Myaah!”

Catra, startled, jumped to her feet and backed away as Skeletor began to aimlessly knock items off the shelves. “Um,” she said, worriedly. “I know this guy’s a grouch at the best of times, but is he supposed to act like _that?_ ”

Entrapta furrowed her brow. “Hm. Let me check the data.” She scanned her workpad thoughtfully, remaining seated while Skeletor seized a curtain rod and began running haphazardly through the workshop, swinging at whatever he came across. “Here we go! It looks like I _may or may not_ have crossed some wires and accidentally reactivated his default programming for aggressive territorial acquisition.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Catra yelped, leaping on top of a cabinet as Skeletor barreled past her, vanishing behind a pile of old machinery in the back of the lab. 

“Here comes King Skeletor!” Skeletor yelled. 

Entrapta looked apologetic. “He… _might_ be trying to conquer the planet? It should be fine as long as he stays in the lab. Which he will, as long as he doesn’t find the teleportation booth.” 

“The _what_.”

“Oh, you know.” Entrapta began gesticulating with her hands and her ponytails. “I have labs in all the kingdoms now, and it just takes so long to travel between them the usual way. So I did a study of Glimmer’s powers and combined that with some reverse-engineered tech from Horde Prime’s ship, and now I can jump between each of them instantly!” She smiled proudly, hands on her hips. “But don’t worry, it’s _extremely_ well hidden.” 

Skeletor’s voice floated out from the recesses of the lab: “A secret passage! Let’s see where it goes!” Moments later, there was a loud electrical crackle, followed by a green flash of light and the pungent smell of singed air. The back of the workshop went quiet. 

Catra’s ears drooped. “Did he just…?” 

Entrapta snapped on a pair of goggles and flashed her teeth. “‘Fraid so! We gotta go after him! For _science!_ ” She noticed Catra’s face. “Oh. And, uh, for Etheria too. I guess.”

* * *

Scorpia, Princess of the Delight Zone (née Fright), finished putting the last decorative touches on the room that had recently been designated as Entrapta’s visiting laboratory space. It was already covered in the same flowers and vines that Perfuma had added to the rest of the rejuvenated kingdom, but now Scorpia was injecting her own little bit of feng shui: some extra furniture here, a fizzy drink dispenser there, and a few purple-hued paintings on the walls. It was downright cozy. 

“You know, this reminds me of good times with the Super Pal Trio,” Scorpia said to nobody in particular when she was finished. “I mean, I _know_ we were in the Horde then, and working for the forces of evil, and Catra made some _really questionable_ decisions while we all helped build a reality-destroying portal, but still. We had some good times. I miss those times, sometimes.”

She stared wistfully about the room for a few moments longer. Then the calm was interrupted by one of the larger machines sparking loudly to life, flashing brightly, and depositing Catra and Entrapta on the floor in a tangled heap. Scorpia cried out in surprise. 

“Hi Scorpia,” Catra said, waving limply. She seemed almost sheepish, but smiled despite it. 

“Did Skeletor come by here?” Entrapta demanded. 

“What, the cranky robot from therapy group?” Scorpia scratched her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Entrapta made a note. “Okay, so he’s not here. And he wasn’t in Plumeria or the Kingdom of Snows either, so that means he must have gone to the Salineas lab!”

“Um, can I ask a question?” Scorpia interrupted. “Yeah. Sorry. Hey, what’s going on?”

“Skeletor went bonkers and he’s teleporting all over the place and Entrapta and I have to stop him before he takes over Etheria!” Catra answered, breathlessly. 

“Really? Ooh, I bet I could help with that! Maybe. If you wanted,” Scorpia suggested. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I mean. There’s not much going on here, and Perfuma is busy doing government stuff in Plumeria right now, so I’ve got the whole day free!”

“I know, I have your calendar schedule saved to my datapad,” Entrapta replied. “So, you wanna help us catch a robot?” 

“Do I?” Scorpia’s eyes sparkled and her face lit up before she gathered both of the smaller women in a humongous double-hug. “Let’s _go!_ Super Pal Trio _to the rescue!_ ” 

* * *

The air fizzed, and then all three women tumbled out of the teleporter onto the floor of Entrapta’s Salineas lab. 

“Wow, that tickles!” Scorpia remarked, standing up and brushing herself off. “You okay over there, Catra?”

“I’m fine,” Catra said. “Anyone see Skeletor?” 

“Look!” Entrapta squeaked. 

Some dirty footprints and an unsubtle path of mild, petty destruction led from the teleportation machine and out of the laboratory. The trio followed it out the door (which, Catra noted, had been labeled “Nerd Room” in flowing Salinean font) and into the hallways of the palace. 

After a few turns, they came upon a stormy Mermista, angrily huddled with a small cluster of palace guards. 

“You!” Mermista shrieked, when she saw them. “I _knew_ you would have something to do with this, Geek Princess! Whatever you did, fix it _right now!_ ”

Entrapta ambled over and tipped her welding mask like a hat. “Hello!” She greeted, smiling. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Your _stupid_ skeleton robot broke in here and _stole all of my Mer-Mystery novels!_ ” Mermista fumed. 

This seemed to take the trio by surprise. Catra looked to Entrapta. “I thought you said he was trying to take over the world?” she asked, incredulous. 

“Books are the real treasures of the world!” Skeletor shouted from somewhere further down the hallway. 

“After him! Entrapta squealed. “He’s probably going to the palace library to steal more!” She pulled a piece of tech from one of her pockets. “We can track him with my Skeletor-locating beacon! Look, it’s even got a cute little red button.”

Catra’s eyes went wide. “How long have you…?” she sputtered. She buried her face in her hands. “You know what? Never mind. It’s ‘a while.’ I already know the answer is ‘a while.’” 

“It’s a funny story actually,” Entrapta explained. “See, I _thought_ this was in my _other_ overalls.” 

“I don’t care! Just push the button!” 

Entrapta pushed the button. A pinging signal rang out, and they followed it down the twisting palace hallways, leaving Mermista’s annoyed groaning behind them. Before long, they found themselves at the double-doors to the library’s main hall. Extending a hand of hair, Entrapta pushed them open. 

“Too late, fools!” Skeletor cried from inside. “This mega-steel gate is impenetrable!”

The trio looked inside and saw that the robot had constructed a large fort out of books and chair cushions in the middle of the room. He crouched behind its walls and glared at them balefully. “Now it’s only a matter of time until the power of Grayskull is mine!”

“Okay, we’ve got this!” Entrapta reassured her companions. “Catra, I need you to use your _cat-like reflexes_ to flush him out. I’ll keep track of his movements with the beacon. Then, when we’ve got him where we want him, Scorpia will use her _hugging strength_ to contain the threat!”

“Roger!” Scorpia saluted. 

“This is a terrible plan,” Catra said, getting ready to jump. 

Entrapta laughed, maniacally. “Ha ha! Here we go!”

* * *

One fraught battle later, Scorpia held a wriggling, defeated Skeletor in her claws while Catra scolded the erstwhile robot and Entrapta cheerfully took data as they walked back down the disheveled hallways to the teleportation machine. 

“Bad Skeletor. Bad robot,” Catra chided. “No more evil schemes for you.”

“You overgrown alley-cat! I’ll turn you into a suitcase!” Skeletor retorted. “You can’t do this to me! I’ll get you for this! Myaah!”

Strangely, the litany of insults only made Catra feel better about their decisive victory. Her heart swelled as she laughed along with the other two, and the feeling of belonging and togetherness lasted all the way down the hall, past Mermista’s impatient glare, into the teleporter, and beyond. 

The Super Pal Trio had saved the day. 

As soon as they were back in her Bright Moon lab, Entrapta took the captive robot from Scorpia and reached for a half dozen of her tools at once. In a blur, she opened Skeletor back up, twisted and soldered some wires, flipped a number of switches, and riveted him back shut. A softer expression seemed to float across the robot’s frowning face. 

“I am your friend,” Skeletor stated in a calm voice. “I’ve come to help!”

Everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

“What an adventure!” Entrapta cackled, breaking the silence. “And you two were great! Top-notch research assistants!” She flashed a double thumbs up at Catra and Scorpia and plopped into her seat at the workbench. She peered at her notes. “Anyway, you can both head back home now if you want. I’m probably just going to keep tinkering with Skeletor for the rest of the afternoon.” She flipped down her welding mask. “Don’t worry, I’ll be extra-careful this time. It’ll be perfectly safe!” 

Catra and Scorpia shot each other a silent look of screaming panic. 

“Actually, I think we’ll stay a little longer!” Catra cut in, quickly. “You know. In case you need any more help with science stuff. Or whatever.”

“I can get some board games from my place!” Scorpia added. “Uh, that is, if you teach me how to use the teleport-thingy.” 

Entrapta bounced back up on her hair, eyes shining. “Really? That would be great! Wait here, I’ll go make us all some tiny cocoa!” 

* * *

Hours later, the crackle of electricity and a soft glowing light filled Entrapta’s laboratory in Dryl before the scientist herself emerged from the teleportation booth, worn out but looking immensely pleased. 

She was greeted by the heavenly sight of Hordak, unarmored, relaxing in a large cushioned chair and reading peacefully while Imp napped beneath his arm. He looked up from his book and smiled as she approached. 

“Welcome home, my dear. Did you have a good day with your friends?”

“Oh, it was incredible!” Entrapta tossed herself into her partner’s lap and wrapped them both up in a swathe of her hair. Jostled by the movement, Imp yawned, blinked at her, and promptly fell back asleep. Entrapta scratched the smaller clone behind the ears.

“We went to the beach, and the library, and hung out in the lab! And Skeletor did _exactly_ what I programmed him to. Relationship-building subroutine eighty-five was a _complete_ success!” 

Hordak’s eyes crinkled as he smiled further. “Scorpia and Catra usually seem to appreciate your company,” he pointed out. “I’m sure you could simply _ask_ them to spend time with you, if you wished.”

“And where’s the fun in that?” Entrapta pouted. 

Hordak laughed. “Fair enough. You are quite devious when you have a mind for it, you know.”

“I’ve got a mind for a lot of things,” Entrapta murmured, and curled closer. They stayed that way until the stars had come out and the only light in the lab came from glowing screens and blinking bulbs. 

“Well, my job’s done,” said Skeletor. “Glad I could help!” 


	6. Skeletor Lends a Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The support group acts out. Wrong Hordak gets a taste of his own medicine.

“I am _Hordak!_ ” Catra shouted. “And I defy your _stupid face!_ ” 

She opened her hand. Wrong Hordak, wearing a mop on his head and with two extra eyes drawn haphazardly on his face, slumped to the ground. 

“Oh! I am falling!” he wailed from the floor. “I have fallen! I am dead! Woe be to Horde Prime!” He splayed his limbs and stuck out his tongue for extra emphasis, making a few more death rattles as he did so. 

It was drama therapy day in Wrong Hordak’s Ex-Horde support group. 

Hordak, watching from the back of the small audience, hid his face in his hands and slouched as far down as he could in his chair. “This is the worst torture I have ever endured,” he whispered. 

“Oh, but this is the best part!” Entrapta squeaked. She squeezed his arm and leaned into his shoulder. 

The stage, such as it was, consisted of a marked-off portion of the floor, faced by the other group members, who mostly consisted of Entrapta and Hordak and about two dozen enraptured clones. Scorpia and Perfuma were by the door, working the lights. 

Catra-as-Hordak continued to yell at her defeated enemy. “Ha! Serves you _right_ , you creepy evil jerk! I bet you didn’t ‘see all’ _that_ coming!” 

“Catra! That’s not the line!” Adora hissed. She was kneeling on the ground a few feet away, pretending to be tied up. Her hair was bunched into two ponytails, and she had borrowed Entrapta’s welding mask. 

“Ugh. _Fine_. Have it your way. _I turned against my brother! What have I done?_ ”

“Ca— I mean, Hordak!” Adora cried, standing up. Her acting was as wooden as ever, but she played the role seriously, holding Catra’s face tenderly in her hands. “It’s okay. You’re free now. You can be whoever you want to be.”

They kissed, passionately. 

Hordak choked. “That did _not_ happen!” he insisted, mortified. 

“It would’ve been cute if it did, though,” Entrapta mused beside him. 

The room erupted into applause. “Bravo!” one of the clones cried, wiping away a tear. “Bra- _vah!_ ”

The lights came up. Wrong Hordak jumped to his feet and bowed to the group. “Thank you, brothers! Thank you!” He straightened. “Now, consider this thought experiment: what would you have said to yourselves if _you_ were the one to cast the villainous Horde Prime to his doom?” 

The clones looked stricken. “I would have called myself a traitor!” one gasped. 

“Worse than a traitor!” a second clone agreed. “A monster!” 

“An abomination!”

“And yet,” Wrong Hordak said, still smiling, “Would you call the great Hordak any of these cruel things today?” 

“Of course not!” a clone blurted. “He is a hero!” 

“He turned against the false ruler! For _love_ ,” another added. 

“He knows _some_ things!” 

A hushed murmur fell over the clones as realization dawned. 

“So you see,” Wrong Hordak explained patiently, “Even though Horde Prime is dead, his lies can still live within us. We must learn to recognize Prime’s evil voice, and replace it with our own! Only then will he truly be defeated.” 

As the clones discussed this new idea with excitement, practicing saying positive things to one another, Catra worked her way around to the back of the group and leaned on Hordak and Entrapta’s chairs. 

“Enjoying the show?” she asked, smirking. “I think I make a pretty good you, Hordak.”

Hordak sank even further in his seat. “I fail to see the practical side of all this,” he grumbled. 

“It’s very practical!” Entrapta protested. “Data shows that acting out roles can help us embrace new perspectives of ourselves and others.”

“Yeah,” Catra teased. “I find this exercise to be cathartic _and_ entertaining, don’t you?” 

“Attention, everyone!” Wrong Hordak announced, from the front of the room. “Next, Princesses Perfuma and Scorpia will perform their reenactment of ‘She-Ra and Her True Love Save the Heart of Etheria’!” 

“You know what,” Catra said, “I just realized I have to go to the bathroom right now immediately.” She spun on her heel and speed-walked out of the room with a look of panic in her eyes. 

“Perhaps I spoke too soon. This could be most amusing after all,” Hordak chuckled. He put his arm around Entrapta, and they settled in to watch the show. 

* * *

Later, when the meeting had ended, Wrong Hordak busied himself with tidying up the room. Most of the attendees were still there, talking amongst themselves as they gradually filtered out the door. Entrapta and Hordak were chatting amiably with Catra and Adora by the snack table. Scorpia and Perfuma giggled to each other by the window and danced a few halting steps to music only they could hear. Wrong Hordak smiled. 

“I am so proud of my brothers,” he sighed happily. “They have learned so much!” 

“Wonderfully horrible creatures!” his assistant piped up. 

Wrong Hordak’s assistant was a robot, one of Horde Prime’s former drones that Entrapta had reprogrammed and given a voice. She called it ‘Skeletor.’

“We will form an alliance, but only until our task is complete!” Skeletor said. 

“Indeed. Now then, my exalted brother, I have an important mission for you!” Wrong Hordak held out a broom and dustpan to Skeletor. The robot groused but took them and went to work anyway. As he did so, Wrong Hordak felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. 

“Excuse me?” 

Wrong Hordak turned around to find one of the other clones staring at him. “Oh! Greetings, brother.”

“Today was wonderful!” the clone complimented. “Your acting skills are marvelous. But I noticed you did not get a chance to berate Prime yourself.”

“No, of course not!” Wrong Hordak responded, smiling. “My purpose in this group is to help the others with their emotional journeys. Also, this exercise is about more than expressing anger. It is about self-actualization!”

“Well then, all the more reason for you to try it! You must find your own voice as well.” The clone pulled Skeletor away from sweeping the floor. “Here, practice on this drone! Drone, say something Horde Prime would say.”

“Er… You boob!” Skeletor tried. 

The clone was unimpressed. “Something else.”

“The first one didn’t count,” Skeletor griped. “It was just practice. I was _teasing_ the poor fool!”

“Then what would Horde Prime say? If he saw us making our own choices and thinking our own thoughts.” 

Skeletor pondered this. After a moment, he shook his fists and shouted, “Get in line! I see you need a lesson in obedience!” 

“Better,” the clone nodded, and then looked to Wrong Hordak. “And what would you say to that?” 

Wrong Hordak hesitated. “I... I would say, I am no longer obedient to a tyrant!”

“Fool! You will serve _my_ purposes!” Skeletor pressed. 

“I will not!” Wrong Hordak pushed back, more confidently this time. “I serve only my friends.” 

“Your friends only keep you around because it amuses them to have a pet!” Skeletor wheedled. “Be honest. Wouldn’t everyone be much better off if you had never come here?”

“That is not true!” Wrong Hordak said. “And, and even if it were, _I_ am better for coming here! I _want_ to be here! I am _happy_ here! The light of this world is more fulfilling than Prime’s sickly light could _ever_ hope to be!” 

“Bravo!” the other clone applauded. “That’s the spirit!”

“Take a bow!” Skeletor cheered. 

“Oh my,” Wrong Hordak breathed. “You were right, that was an exhilarating experience!” 

“Exhilaration is my specialty,” the other clone boasted, proudly. 

Wrong Hordak looked at the clone a bit more closely. “Are you new to our group?” he asked, curiously. 

“Ah… Sort of? I’ve been coming for the past couple weeks, actually,” the clone admitted, and blinked. Sideways. 

“Well, you will always be welcome and among friends here!” Wrong Hordak beamed. He gave a wink, and the air appeared to sparkle around him. 

“O— Of course,” the clone stammered, seemingly taken off guard. “Excuse me, I must go now.” They turned and rushed away, hiding their face and making a noise that sounded a bit like an overheating radiator. 

“What a nice person!” Wrong Hordak remarked, watching them go. 

“Someone I could almost respect!” Skeletor agreed. “Meheheheheh.” 

* * *

The next day, while Entrapta was working in her Bright Moon lab, a knock came on the door. She paused in her welding and went to open it, expecting Catra or Scorpia dropping by for a visit. Instead, she found a nervously fidgeting clone looking back at her. 

“Oh. Hello. Can I help you?” Entrapta asked. 

The clone quickly stepped inside, and then in a flash of dark light they _weren’t_ a clone any more, but a lithe, svelte lizard person. 

“I am having a _crisis_ ,” Double Trouble lamented, grabbing Entrapta by the shoulders. “And you’re the _only_ one who can _save_ me!”

“Oh! I see. You’re that shapeshifter!” Entrapta said. She blithely brushed Double Trouble’s hands away and sat back on her hair, looking contemplative. “Catra and Hordak told me about you.”

Double Trouble cringed. “They did? Well, that’s awkward.” 

“...So, what can I do you for?” Entrapta pulled a pen and notepad out of her pocket and smiled expectantly. 

“I— Really?” Double Trouble sat down on a piece of unused machinery. “Okay. In that case, it’s just… now that all the clones have discovered _individuality_ , I think I’m beginning to see where you were coming from,” they admitted. 

“I come from Dryl,” Entrapta supplied helpfully. 

“That’s not what I...” Double Trouble sighed. “Look, can you just tell me what sort of things Wrong Hordak likes?” 

Entrapta shrugged. “Cooking. Being dramatic. Rebelling. Why are you asking me?” 

“I think I might actually be able to work with that,” Double Trouble muttered. “And I have to ask you because— because you’re the only person on the planet who knows how to _romance_ one of these space bats.” They leaned forward. “Now _dish_.”

“What an unexpected pleasure!” Skeletor said. “I’ve waited a long time for this!”  
  


* * *

See art for the opening scene by cosmiquealiene on tumblr [here!](https://cosmiquealiene.tumblr.com/post/624642164963622912/based-on-a-scene-from-the-fanfiction-skeletor-by)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to ineffablelabpartners on tumblr for the idea of “Princess Theatre feat. Wrong Hordak as Horde Prime” :)


	7. Friends Are Where You Find Skeletor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perfuma has to be in charge again. Everybody finds somebody to lean on.

“And _that’s_ why I think physical paperwork is a severely outmoded form of record keeping!”

Perfuma smiled as she leaned on Scorpia’s arm and listened to the taller woman talk. They were strolling down a hallway in Bright Moon palace, making their way toward the room where Wrong Hordak hosted his weekly support group for Ex-Horde members. Perfuma, despite not strictly meeting the criteria, had become a welcome and increasingly popular guest instructor. 

Today, however, something seemed off as they approached the meeting room. Perfuma poked her head through the doorway. “Hello? Wrong Hordak?” 

“Come in, you royal boob!” a voice called cheerfully from inside. 

Perfuma stepped the rest of the way into the room and did her very best to remain serene. The nasal voice that greeted her did not belong to Wrong Hordak, but to the old Horde bot Entrapta had fixed up to be his assistant. The robot’s name was ‘Skeletor.’

“I, Skeletor, have brought you here to serve me!” said Skeletor. 

“Yes, mhmm, that’s very nice.” Perfuma looked around and tapped her foot impatiently. “Do you know where Wrong Hordak is? I wanted to go over my newest self-regulation exercises with him before everyone else arrived.” 

“I'm afraid the plan has been changed,” Skeletor explained. “I have word: ‘ _I don’t think I feel well!_ ’ Yuck! The poor fool. How unpleasant it is!”

“Huh? You mean he’s sick?” Perfuma looked back at Scorpia, who shrugged, and then to Skeletor again. “Then it’s just us leading the group today. But that means…” Perfuma paled. “Oh no. That means I’ll have to be in _charge_ again!” she wailed miserably. “I only prepared for a ten-minute meditation and an aura healing! I can’t lead the entire session; that’s Wrong Hordak’s job! This is going to be a _disaster!_ ” 

“What? Nah, come on, it can’t be that bad!” Scorpia clapped her girlfriend encouragingly on the back. “You’ve led your own groups before in Plumeria, and those were great!” 

“Those were drum circles! And flower crown workshops!” Perfuma pulled at her hair, and then drew the taller woman close. “Look, I… I didn’t really realize it until I started helping out here, but your lives in the Horde were _very challenging!_ And don’t tell anyone I told you this, but it’s… a _lot_ more intense than the emotional energies I’m used to working with.”

“Aw, hey. Don’t worry wildflower, your secret’s safe with me!” Scorpia smiled warmly. “I’m _great_ at keeping secrets. And I mean, _I_ think you’re doing a great job. You show up every week to help! That’s gotta count for something!”

Perfuma slumped. “Wrong Hordak is the one who deals with the serious stuff. And he’s _great_ at helping everyone process that, because he _lived_ it! And I… didn’t. I’m useless.” She looked down, seeming almost guilty. 

“Hey, I don’t wanna hear talk like that coming from my best gal!” Scorpia gripped Perfuma gently by the shoulders and stood her up straight. “You’re brave, strong, loyal, and you give _amazing_ hugs! You’ve got this!”

Perfuma sniffled. “You really think so?” 

“I _know_ so!” 

“Forward, my lackeys! In the name of destruction!” Skeletor shouted. 

Perfuma frowned and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I think the _first_ thing we should do is remove any distractions and negative influences from the environment.” She looked to Skeletor, who was busy chortling and setting up chairs in a circle. “Skeletor, can you go to the markets and get some red halfmoon berries? Wrong Hordak wanted more organic options for the snack table.”

“Huh?” The robot hesitated and seemed skeptical, but after a moment he saluted, took up the old curtain rod he used as a walking staff, and strode purposefully out the door. 

Perfuma watched him go and giggled. “That ought to keep him busy for a while. Halfmoon berries are _blue_.” 

Scorpia’s eyes shone. “Oh my gosh, that is so sneaky! What next?” 

Perfuma looked determined. “Next, we finish setting up the room and get ready to _help people find their harmony!_ ”

* * *

“I’ve lost my harmony,” Perfuma muttered through a wavering, grit-toothed smile. 

The other group members — Adora, Catra, Hordak, Entrapta, and a smattering of clones — had arrived and were now speaking animatedly around the circle. Somehow the topic of conversation had turned to Horde Prime’s methods of mind control. 

“That creepy slime pit, though,” Catra was saying. “That was the worst thing.” 

“Prime called it a baptismal font,” Hordak affirmed, nodding. “The liquid is a diluted form of his essence. It consumes thoughts and memories that are not of Prime.” 

“It’s also _sticky_ ,” Catra complained, showing her tongue in disgust. “And I never asked, was that a _regular_ thing for you guys, or…?” 

“I was sent to reconditioning for observing the stars too often,” one clone piped up. “I thought they were pretty,” he admitted more quietly. 

“I smelled a flower once,” another added. “Prime was _furious_ when he found out.” 

Adora joined in. “Yeah, I think Shadow Weaver tried something like that on us once or twice? But, you know, I can’t really remember.” 

She and Catra laughed at that. So did most of the others in the room. 

Perfuma’s eyes boggled in horror. “That sounds… remarkably traumatic!” she squeaked, in as upbeat a voice as she could manage. “Perhaps we should… try some deep breathing?” 

“Oh yeah, I used to do that all the time when I was alone on Beast Island and I thought nobody was ever coming for me!” Entrapta said brightly. “It’s loads of fun!” 

Perfuma sank in her chair, as if under the burden of a tremendous weight. 

“You okay there, hot stuff?” Scorpia whispered, leaning over in her seat. “Need a break or anything?” 

“How can you possibly _handle_ all of this?” Perfuma moaned. “Just _thinking_ about it makes me feel angry and exhausted and helpless.” 

“But we _are_ handling it,” Scorpia said gently. She smiled. “Look around.”

Perfuma looked. 

None of the clones held the hunched, fearful posture that she could remember seeing so often in the days after the war. Instead, they were relaxed, smiling, and chattered with one another like lively birds. Adora and Entrapta leaned lovingly on their respective partners when they talked, while Catra and Hordak offered quiet gestures of encouragement to each other and to every clone who had the courage to speak up. 

“We’re all interconnected,” Scorpia explained. “And we all help each other. You’re a part of that, too.”

Suddenly there was a commotion at the door. 

“I’ve brought you a present!” Skeletor loudly announced. He had returned, and was carrying a basket of halfmoon berries, all of which had been hastily and obviously doused in red paint. 

Perfuma braced herself for chaos, but saw to her surprise that if anything the room had grown more easygoing with Skeletor’s arrival. The others greeted him warmly and laughed at all of his disgruntled exclamations. 

“Try this! I want you to witness the effects of my genius firsthand!” said Skeletor. 

Perfuma looked to Scorpia, who was grinning hugely. She slowly returned the smile, and then something shifted and she was laughing right along with everybody else. And Perfuma found herself reflecting that, perhaps, there were more ways to reach inner peace than she had thought. 

And that was good. 

* * *

It was later in the day. There was a knock upon Entrapta and Hordak’s laboratory door. Skeletor answered it. 

“My sensors warned me that you were coming!” 

Double Trouble was leaning in the doorframe, tail-tip curled, grinning. “Thanks for covering for us today, bonesy,” they said. “You’re a _doll!_ More than worth the price.”

“Well, Double, what will you do for me?” Skeletor demanded in reply. “You and I have some unfinished business!”

“As promised, your treasure.” Double Trouble produced a stack of what appeared to be weathered romance novels, their covers depicting muscled barbarians locked in embrace. “ _Voila!_ ”

Skeletor accepted the books eagerly. “And when you open them they explode, right?” 

“Something like that.” Double Trouble shrugged. “Just look for the pages where the spine is most cracked if that’s what you’re interested in.” 

Skeletor cackled and carted the books off to the back of the laboratory. 

Entrapta, seated at a workbench further inside, looked up from a half-finished robo-puppy long enough to give a friendly wave to the lizard in the door. Double Trouble returned the gesture. Then, abruptly, a look of panic crossed their face and they scampered away.

Entrapta raised an eyebrow and turned to find that Hordak had silently appeared behind her in the workshop. He stared past her, out the now-empty doorway. 

“Was that who I surmise it was?” Hordak asked, sounding more confused than upset. “What were _they_ doing here?”

Entrapta’s eyes darted back and forth. “Er, no reason. _Definitely_ not a Wrong Hordak-related reason!” She laughed, nervously. 

Hordak sniffed. “Entrapta. Would this have anything to do with why my brother was absent from our meeting today?”

“Um… _no?_ ” Entrapta tried, unconvincingly. 

“Is he _fraternizing_ with that mercenary?” 

“Oh gosh no. I think it was just lunch and a show,” Entrapta reassured him. 

Hordak looked ill. His ears flattened. “I forbid it,” he protested weakly. 

“Aw, come on!” Entrapta pleaded. “You can’t stand in the way of _love!_ It’s the most powerful force in the universe!” She thought about this. “I mean, other than strong nuclear particle interaction. And electromagnetism. And gravity.” She frowned. “No, wait, I’m actually not sure about gravity.”

“I need to lie down,” Hordak said distantly. 

Entrapta followed him out of the room, tugging on his arm with one ponytail. “Hey, think about it this way, Wrong Hordak probably won’t be bothering you as much now! We’ll have _lots_ of time for our own experiments.”

Hordak slowed his pace and allowed his partner to wrap more of herself around him. “That is a fair point,” he conceded. “In fact, I was just coming to ask for your help with a small mechanical engineering problem I’ve encountered…” 

And then they were back at it, lost in the science and each other’s words and minds. They withdrew into their sanctum. The walls echoed with their work. 

“I’m so powerful I even impress myself!” Skeletor said. “Myaah!” 


	8. Fabulous Skeletor Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She-Ra sings. Catra tries. Hordak prays. Entrapta says hey, what’s going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For best results, read after viewing “Fabulous Secret Powers” by SLACKCiRCUS on YouTube.

Catra awoke from a strange dream of She-Ra singing and dancing to the soft light of dawn. She yawned and shook the sleep from her head. 

Adora was next to her, snoring as loudly as a landslide. Looking down at her Catra smiled and relaxed, which was a feeling she was still getting used to, nearly a year after the end of everything. 

There had been times, alone in the Horde, when she had been unable to do anything but lie in bed at night and cry, trying desperately to flush out all the thoughts running around in her head. 

Now, things were different. It felt a little peculiar. On bad days she still worried that she would never be able to make up for the damage she’d done, and didn’t deserve the happiness she had now. In her better moments she was able to remember that it wasn’t really about _getting_ or _having_ , but about trying all the time to see and return the love that had always been there for her. 

Adora snorted and rolled over. Moving carefully so as not to disturb her, Catra rose and padded to the small kitchen of their Bright Moon home. Somewhere along the way she was joined by Melog, mewling and pressing against her shins for attention. She gave it, and the space cat’s tail twitched happily. 

Without really having any particular plan in mind, Catra withdrew various ingredients from the cupboards and began to fix a modest breakfast. Before she had time to make any grievous cooking errors, Adora was suddenly awake and there behind her, hugging her, smiling, correcting the wayward cat’s mistakes, and adding a healthy dose of her own. 

Before long they had something made from eggs and bread and vegetables that was not only edible but downright delicious, at least compared to green ration bars. They sat at their small table and ate and laughed together while Melog lay curled at their feet and purred contentedly. 

Adora appeared to be thinking about something. She had one hand thrust in her pocket and her chin rested in the other, face screwed up in careful contemplation. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. She looked up and leaned forward with a grin. “Hey, stud,” she started. 

Catra burst into laughter, cutting off whatever Adora had been about to say next. “What was that? Was that supposed to be _smooth?_ ” she cackled. 

Adora tried to recover. “Hey, I’m just kidding! Yeesh!” She waved her hands defensively. “I — Look, let me try that again.” 

But Catra wasn’t really listening, because it had suddenly occurred to her that between the early morning sunlight streaming in through the window, the smell of their perfect breakfast, the warm, bursting feeling in her chest, and Adora sitting right in front of her, that this moment was absolutely, stomach-turningly _picturesque_. 

That would have made her angry before. Now she felt something else. 

Adora noticed her girlfriend’s distant look and reached out for her. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Uh, not much!” Catra stammered, suddenly aware that she needed to get something from the other room, _immediately_. “I’ll be right back!” 

She rushed to the spot where she hid important things, reached between a small bag of catmint and a little ball with a jingle bell inside, and retrieved a tiny hinged box with Entrapta’s factory seal of approval stamped on the lid. 

She stuffed it deep in one pocket and hurried back to the kitchen table, heart pounding. Adora, in the meantime, had changed her sword into a golden toy mouse on a string and was letting Melog chase it across the floor. 

“Oh good, you’re back!” Adora sat up straight in her chair and brightened. “Listen, I didn't really plan to do this right now — I actually wasn’t sure _when_ exactly I was gonna do it _until_ right now — but I’ve been thinking about… _stuff_. A lot. And this morning just felt so _perfect_ and I was so _happy_ that I thought, hey, maybe I should take a chance and…”

She trailed off. While she was talking she had withdrawn something from her own pocket and was fidgeting nervously with it. It, too, was a very small box, red and blue-black. Almost automatically, Catra produced hers. 

They looked at each other soundlessly. A great number of things were said without words. 

Ultimately it didn’t matter who broke the silence first, because the conversation would have been the same either way:

“So… I have a question for you.”

“I do, too.”

“You first?”

“Together.” 

* * *

Hordak awoke to the sound of a klaxon alarm going off. Entrapta sat up straight in bed beside him, instantly alert, eyes wide with excitement. 

“It’s _happening!_ ” She cried. “Variable A has been exposed to Variable C! The reaction has begun!” She laughed, maniacal and exuberant. 

Hordak arose, much more blearily than his partner, and smiled. “I was wondering when they were going to get around to that. We finished making their rings weeks ago.” 

“To the observation dome!” Entrapta shouted, leaping to her feet. “For _science!_ ” She scuttled out the door and away in a blur of purple and enthusiasm. Chuckling softly, Hordak stood and followed after her. 

He stepped outside of their shared room in the Crypto Castle and took a deep breath as he prepared to climb the high stairs to Entrapta’s tower lab. He liked walking them; there were faster and easier ways to the top of the tower but the plodding pattern of his footsteps helped him examine and order his thoughts. 

Going up the spiral staircase always seemed like climbing a great hill. It felt good to have hope, and a destination. The closer he got to the top, the more clearly he could hear Entrapta’s cries of excitement. It was like approaching a sun. That felt good, too. 

Soon enough he reached the door to the lab (it was already ajar) and gently pushed his way inside. His partner was there, at work in the center of everything, cross-legged in midair as her hair stretched in a dozen different directions. 

Entrapta cooed over her scientific instruments, and as Hordak watched her he felt something powerful move in his chest. Happiness branched through his body and showed plainly on his face. He no longer felt the need to hide his feelings inside. 

Coming out of his reverie, Hordak realized quickly that Entrapta was not the only one present. Also populating the lab were Emily, who was doing a headstand, Imp, who was egging her on by playing peppy recordings of Scorpia’s voice, and a reprogrammed Horde drone Entrapta had named ‘Skeletor,’ who was shaking his fists and yelling. 

“I’m talking to you, you dimwitted duo!” Skeletor shouted at the other two. “What is it that holds your attention more than the mighty Skeletor?”

Imp blew a raspberry and Emily made a dismissive beeping noise. They returned to ignoring him. 

“How you vex me,” Skeletor grumbled. 

Hordak looked away from this scene and approached Entrapta. She turned and made a happy noise, reaching out to draw him closer. 

Entrapta eagerly showed off her equipment. “Look, look!” She pointed to one of the screens. “This reading means that both of the ring boxes have been opened. And _this_ one means they’re both _wearing_ them!” 

She squealed in delight and leaned into Hordak’s shoulder. “And I _could’ve_ gotten a visual, too, but _somebody_ said that would be rude.” She stuck her tongue out, facetiously. 

“There is nothing you could not do, if you set your mind to it,” Hordak told her. He pointed to the screen. “Tell me, what do these numbers mean?”

“Heart rate and endorphin levels!” Entrapta replied, happy to explain her machinations. “And it seems like things are going well!” She looked thoughtful. “Hm. You know, I’ve never been to another princess’ wedding before. I wonder if it involves magic? Or if they’ll have tiny food? What kind of present do you think we should bring?”

“I have read about Etherian traditions regarding this institution,” Hordak said, frowning. “This is going to be… _somewhat_ more involved than our ceremony was, isn’t it?” 

“If you mean it won’t be in a lab and there’ll be more witnesses than Imp and the robots, then yes.” Entrapta had concern in her eyes. “What’s going on? Are you worried about the crowd? I know lots of tricks for staying calm in big groups.”

Hordak shook his head. “I was more concerned about how the other guests would react to… well.” He gestured vaguely to himself. “The ones who don’t know us as well as the happy couple, I mean.”

“There’s also Wrong Hordak. And Scorpia. And Perfuma’s getting to like you, too!” Entrapta pointed out. “Plus all the clones from our therapy group. You’re kind of their hero, y’know.”

“I cannot imagine why,” Hordak said. He looked away for a moment, toward where Skeletor continued to bother Imp and Emily. 

“You pathetic pair of pitiful pinheads!” Skeletor fumed. “Some day I’ll have the power to destroy you! Some day!”

Imp grumbled and rode Emily to the other side of the lab, leaving the gangly troublemaker behind. Skeletor balled his fists and whined in frustration. 

Hordak pursed his lips. “And that still leaves the matter of the other princesses, not to mention the citizenry. Ever since the revolution against Prime, I’ve hoped — ”

“ _And_ he prays!” Skeletor suddenly cut in. “Myaah!”

Hordak sighed. “Yes, even that. Every day. To the planet, or whoever cares to listen, that I have not done irreparable harm to this world. Or the fellowship it is made up of. But I fear it may already be too late.”

“Let me check the data!” Entrapta flipped rapidly through her screens. “Nope, Etheria is currently stable. Elemental readings are within parameters. You’re all good!” 

Hordak smiled but did not look comforted. “Damage can go deeper than data, my dear,” he said. 

“Ah, you’re referring to _feelings being hurt_.” The princess looked pleased with herself. “Well, I’ve got metrics for that, too. Everyone at Wrong Hordak’s therapy group is now twice as likely to initiate conversations with you while we’re there. Angry glares from people on the street are down forty percent since your cleanup and reconstruction work on Beast Island and Salineas. And...”

Entrapta put her hands on her hips and drew herself up to her full five feet. “You’re _my_ lab partner. If anyone’s got a problem with that, I’ll fight them!” She stuck out her chin and flexed her arms. 

Hordak’s worried expression softened. “I am humbled by your loyalty,” he said, sincerely. Then he grew pensive again. ”Do you... ever regret it?” he asked, touching a fingertip to the crystal on his collarbone and gazing at the matching one around Entrapta’s neck. 

“A stupid question!” Skeletor interrupted. 

“There’s no such thing,” Entrapta retorted. She picked the robot up with her hair and deposited him elsewhere, then turned her attention back to Hordak. “And to answer yours, no I do not. _That_ data point remains unchanged.”

She flashed her eyes flirtatiously and handed him a graph. “Endearment, concupiscence, and intellectual stimulation, however, have all increased _considerably_. See for yourself!” 

Hordak couldn’t help but smile as he reviewed her charts. The warm feeling returned to his chest. “I cannot argue with such fine research,” he relented. 

“Data doesn’t lie!” Entrapta affirmed. 

“You think you’re so smart!” Skeletor griped. 

Without looking around, Entrapta picked him up again and placed him by the door. While he complained, Emily and Imp shooed him the rest of the way out, the latter playing a long recording of Skeletor’s own toothless insults as they went. 

“You are still the finest scientist I know,” Hordak purred. He held out a hand. “May I assist you with your work?”

Entrapta beamed. “I thought you’d never ask!” She wrapped herself around him and drew him into her world. Hordak gladly followed. Together, they learned and discovered. 

It was fabulous. 

“Hordak and She-Ra, both defeated in the same day!” Skeletor said. “Ha! I should come to Etheria more often!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be the last one for a little while, but it won’t be the last one ever (probably). 
> 
> I’ve been absolutely floored by the positive response to these stories. I’m so happy people are enjoying them, and I’m grateful for every single comment! 
> 
> Skeletor will return in December(ish) for “Hordak and Skeletor: A She-Ra Day Special” (unless I change my mind). 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	9. Skeletor Takes a Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra thinks on the past. Adora gives out presents. Glimmer looks to the future. Entrapta drives a tank. Hordak and Bow do their best. A She-Ra Day Special.

“Blast you, you miserable cat! Let me go!” Skeletor squawked. 

“Reel it in, bonehead,” Catra replied coolly. She was leading Entrapta’s rebellious reprogrammed robot by what amounted to an ear, his arms full of stolen sugar plums. 

“Please, let me explain!” Skeletor protested. “I _must_ save the children!”

“Tell it to the queen,” Catra shrugged back. “If you really wanted to get away with it, you wouldn’t have let me catch you. And anyway, Wrong Hordak says we need more help at the snack tables.”

“You overgrown fur coat,” Skeletor grumbled. “How dare you embarrass me in front of everyone?”

They were walking down a hallway of Bright Moon palace, making their way toward one of the large common rooms. On most weeks, Wrong Hordak used the space to hold a support group for clones and other former members of the Horde, who met to talk about their lives and their feelings. Together, they healed, held on, and let go. And, with great bravery and reluctance, they tried new ways to be themselves. 

Today, they were hosting a wellness afternoon. 

Catra pushed open a pair of double doors and was greeted by the sight of a warm, bustling room. The therapy group regulars were there, but so were various palace staff and citizens of Bright Moon, as well as former Horde soldiers cautiously following the flyers distributed by an enthusiastic flock of clones. Mixed together, they mingled, tentatively. 

Stations were set up in this and the adjoining rooms, each providing sample servings of various simple self-care options. In one area, Netossa and Spinnerella taught comics and cartooning to a circle of curious clones. In another, Swift Wind pranced at the head of an aerobics group. Glimmer had set up a portable kitchen by the window and was showing some palace guards how to make vegetable dumplings. Just about everyone looked like they were having a good time. 

Catra waded through all of this and found Wrong Hordak teaching an improv comedy workshop — alongside the regular support group’s newest member, who was currently hanging off the cheerful clone’s shoulder like a feathered boa constrictor. 

“Yes, _and?_ ” Double Trouble prompted the group, raising an emphatic hand. “Tell me what comes next! Show me _passion!_ Show me _imagination!_ ”

“Start the performance! I demand to be amused!” interrupted Skeletor. 

Everyone fell silent and turned to look at Catra. “I got Skeletor back,” she said simply, showing off her perturbed prisoner.

“Wonderful work!” Wrong Hordak exclaimed. He pulled a small instruction manual bearing the seal of Dryl out of his pocket and flipped through the handwritten pages. “Skeletor, please perform…” He squinted at the messy longhand. “...Relationship-building subroutine _eighteen_. Ah, I think I see what the problem was.”

Skeletor abruptly saluted, dropping most of his plums in the process. “I hate to leave this touching scene, but I see my plan has failed! I’ll be back another time, my friend,” he said, marching off to greet new arrivals and attend to the snack tables. 

Catra turned to go, but found her way blocked when Double Trouble materialized in front of her. 

“It’s good to see you back, kitten,” the lizard smirked. “We _almost_ thought you’d abandoned us! And speaking of, look who I found while you were away.” They pointed. “Some old friends of yours!”

Following the gesture, Catra looked around and felt her insides do a flip-flop as she recognized Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio among the group. Double Trouble seemed about to say more, but was instantly distracted when Wrong Hordak winked and called them over for help with an armload of props and costumes. 

...Which left Catra alone to face her three erstwhile friends. Who had already made eye contact and started walking towards her. The former force captain wished furiously for an alien abduction, or to be struck down by lightning, but she had no such luck. 

“Hi Catra!” Kyle squeaked. Rogelio rumbled something in a friendly tone. 

“Catra,” Lonnie greeted simply, wearing an unreadable expression. 

“Oh wow,” Catra stammered. “It’s, uh, it’s been a while guys. Haven’t seen you since…” 

“Since you went off the deep end and we deserted the Horde?” Lonnie finished for her. 

Catra shrank a little. “Yeah. Since that. I’m… really sorry about all that, by the way. Have you all been okay?” 

“We stick together. We have a good life. And we heard that you and Adora got married, so now I guess I owe Rogelio money.” Lonnie laughed. “No invitations for us, huh?” 

“It was really small,” Catra muttered, feeling worse by the second. She touched her ring. “Just a few guests in the park. Nothing major.” 

Lonnie held up her hands. “Hey, it’s cool, none taken. I just hope you treat her better now than you did when we were in the Horde.” 

Catra felt her hackles rise and did everything she could to squash them back down again. “We’re fine,” she managed, eventually. “You haven’t seen her around anywhere, have you?” 

“Yeah. Over by the board games with the science princess and, you know...” Lonnie mimed a tall, fanged figure with a squinting scowl. “Though I still don’t know how I feel about those two.” 

Kyle and Rogelio looked at each other.

“Thanks,” Catra muttered, and slunk away. 

Catra found herself stuck in her own thoughts as she wandered in the direction Lonnie had pointed, barely able to muster a friendly wave as she passed Scorpia in Perfuma’s yoga group or Bow at the jigsaw puzzle table. She kept replaying the conversation in her head, thinking about things she could or would or should have said. 

In the pit of her chest, she could feel the faint fear of a voice that said she hadn’t changed at all. Unbidden, the image of her own hand on the portal lever came to her. _Stupid, stupid,_ she thought at herself, until the self-loathing drove away the shame. 

Catra sighed. She was _working_ on it. 

Fortunately, she didn’t have long to perseverate. Sure enough, Adora was in the board games area, seated around a table with Entrapta, Hordak, Emily, and Imp. All five of them were thoroughly engrossed in a heated round of _Betrayal at Horror Hall_. 

“I’ve rolled a three,” Hordak declared as Catra approached. “Is that good?” 

“No, it means you’re still trapped in the Dark Dimension,” Entrapta explained evenly. “My turn! I move into the throne room and attack the ghost!” 

“Attack! Attack!” Imp echoed in her voice. 

Emily beeped. 

“Hey Adora,” Catra sighed with relief as she joined them. “How’s it going?” 

“Emily betrayed us all, the Dark One has escaped, and I’m dead!” Adora wailed. “In the game, I mean,” she clarified, gesturing to her battle figurine, which was tipped on its side. Catra smiled and settled in, already feeling more assured of herself. 

“Oh, and you have _got_ to try Hordak’s new coffee,” Adora continued, proffering a steaming paper cup. “He called it a… peppered mint mo-cah?” She looked at Catra with immeasurable eyes and giggled. “I think I can _hear_ space.”

Catra had a thought. She glanced at Entrapta. 

“That reminds me,” Catra started cautiously. “You know that charity stunt or whatever you goons have planned for the night before Adora’s birthday?”

“You mean She-Ra Day Eve?” Adora asked, a huge grin plastered on her face.

“Yeah, that one. I changed my mind about staying home. I want in.” 

“Oh, yay!” Adora nearly fell out of her seat leaning over to hug her wife. “We’re gonna have so much _fun!_ ”

“It will be a significant benefit to have extra helpers,” Hordak added with approval as he looked up from the game board. “Entrapta has engineered quite an undertaking for this event.” 

“She has? Uh, how elaborate are we talking, exactly?” Catra asked, already beginning to regret her decision. 

Entrapta leaned across the table. “Oh, it’s gonna be _big_ ,” she boasted, grinning. Then she sat back in her hair and laughed madly, swinging her feet with delight. 

Catra gulped. Somewhere, she could hear a bell ring. 

* * *

They were standing outside in the starry night. 

It did not snow in Bright Moon, but the air was chilly, and everyone assembled was wearing heavy winter coats. Catra, sinking into hers like a turtle, leaned against Adora’s arm and groaned. 

“I’m gonna be _so_ _bad_ at this,” she complained. 

“You’re gonna do _fine_ ,” Adora cajoled. “You’ll get to throw stuff at people! You love doing that.”

“It wouldn’t be the same without the whole Best Friends Squad anyway!” Bow added, as Glimmer nodded beside him. 

“It’s better with you here,” the queen said, smiling. 

Catra felt her stomach twist and looked away. But that only faced her toward the group’s tallest member, looming lazily on her other side. 

“You seem stressed, Catra.”

Catra glared back up at Hordak. “Easy for you to say! _Your_ wife’s birthday isn’t a national holiday!”

Hordak huffed. “Perhaps not where you come from.”

“I can’t take much more of this,” moaned Skeletor. 

Catra threw up her hands. “Okay, and why is _Skeletor_ here?” she asked helplessly. 

“Silence, you furry fool!” Skeletor retorted. “You ought to know me better than that by now!” He crossed his arms and sulked. 

“We require a full crew for this endeavor,” Hordak explained, more calmly. “Entrapta insisted upon using one of the larger models.” 

“Models of what?” Catra demanded. 

As if on cue, a loud rumbling sound filled the air. The ground began to shake, and an enormous Horde tank rounded the corner, trundled down the road, and came to a juddering halt in front of the gathered friends. It was covered in tinsel and had been repainted with jolly, festive colors. 

“Speak of the gremlin,” Catra mumbled, staring. 

The tank’s front hatch popped open and Entrapta emerged astride Emily, hefting a huge burlap bag. Imp was sitting on her shoulder, wearing a new pair of booties with curled and pointed toes. 

“Merry She-Ra, one and all!” Entrapta crowed. “Welcome aboard the Wrapper Tank!” As they filed past her up the ramp, she rummaged in her bag and passed out what appeared to be accessorized figurines resembling each member of the group. 

Skeletor stared long and hard at his. “Only one is really me! Which one is it?” he mused. 

Glimmer was delighted with hers and immediately set about making it hold hands with Bow’s. Catra held hers uncertainly while Adora toyed with the miniature She-Ra’s sword arm action. 

“Look, it’s a tiny Hordak!” Entrapta squealed with glee as she presented her partner with his own likeness. “Isn’t he cute?”

Hordak smiled as he accepted the gift. “Your craftsmanship is remarkable, as always.” 

Inside the tank was a command bridge the size of a throne room. Several more bags stuffed with small toy princesses rested in the center of the floor. On every surrounding wall there were blinking control panels and swiveling gunners’ chairs. Skeletor sat down in one and spun giddily. 

“I made tiny versions of all the heroes of Etheria!” Entrapta exclaimed, sweeping her hands over everything. “Bow helped with the designs. And then I used my fabrication lab to mass-produce them!” She held her sides and cackled wildly. 

“We’re going to give them out to all the homes in Bright Moon,” Adora added, settling into another chair. “Something for the kids, you know?” Catra, already brightening at the sight of weaponry, grinned and joined her. 

Entrapta tossed herself back into the pilot’s seat. “If this experiment goes well, we’ll be able to expand the operation to other kingdoms next year! Maybe even the whole planet!” 

“Okay, but how are we going to be able to deliver presents to _every_ house if we only have _one_ night?” Bow asked. 

“That’s easy!” Entrapta bragged. “Behold, the power of the Wrapper Tank!” 

With a flourish, she dropped one of the trinkets into a large funnel near the control panel. In seconds, automated arms had bound it in wrapping paper and a purple bow, and fired it out the front cannon at high velocity. 

“This baby can do thirty of these things a minute!” Entrapta shouted proudly as she continued shoveling toys into the machine. 

“Is everyone comfortable?” Skeletor asked. He didn’t wait for an answer before pushing as many buttons as his bony arms could reach. 

With a roar, the engines came to life, and then they were rolling down the road, strafing the kingdom with presents that mostly landed where they were supposed to go. The inside of the tank became a bustle of activity as the crewmates passed gifts to one another and sent them shooting off into the night. Distantly, they could hear people cheering, as well as the occasional sound of something breaking. 

“Is this what we’re doing all night?” Catra asked. She flipped a switch and raised her eyebrows as a Frosta doll hurtled through someone’s window. “You were right, it is kinda fun.” 

“This is the main event, yeah,” Adora replied, launching a volley of Sea Hawks down the block. “We’ve got a few more personal stops to make on the way, though. The first one’s in the Whispering Woods!” 

Catra froze for a moment, imagining the ghosts that were waiting for her in those dark and shifting trees. She shook her head and ignored the thought. 

“What idiot started this whole thing anyway?” Skeletor griped. 

* * *

The tank made its first stop at a tiny cottage, so small and low that it would have been easy to mistake for nothing at all. 

“Madame Razz?” Adora called as she ducked through the doorway. The others followed behind her in a curious huddle. 

“I brought you some cookies and sweets and stuff,” Adora said, setting the goodies on the table. Bow and Glimmer gazed with interest at the many mystical odds and ends decorating the walls. Entrapta struck up a conversation with the broom. Hordak, who was taller than the ceiling, crouched in as dignified a manner as he could manage.

“Who knows what evil lurks behind these doors?” Skeletor hissed in a hushed whisper.

At the far side of the cottage, Razz sat in a rocking chair and tipped slowly back and forth, staring at nothing. Catra felt her hair stand on end. 

Adora looked worried. “Razz? You there?” 

Madame Razz blinked and snapped out of her trance. “Yes, yes, deary! Come in! I remembered this was going to happen.” Leaping to her feet, she held out a stuffed doll with pointed ears, blue hair, and soulless eyes. “Look here! I have a gift for you also.” 

Adora took it gingerly. “How… nice. What is it?” She turned the doll over in her hands. It wore a rainbow jumper and a plastic smirk. 

“It’s a Loo-Kee on a Ledge!” Razz explained cheerfully. “You put it in your home. Move it every night. Tell the children it can see them. Makes the young ones more obedient!” 

“Thanks, that’s terrifying.” Adora passed the doll to Catra, who seemed far more interested in its potential applications. “I bet it’ll make a nice game.”

“Game?” Razz turned and stared through her glasses in confusion. “We are not here for games, we are here for fruit cake!” 

Before Adora could stop her, the old woman had rushed to her little cottage oven. She made a show of reaching inside with protective mitts and extracted a cold stone brick, which had been placed in a pan with some wild nuts sprinkled on top. 

“You want a slice now?” 

“Oh, absolutely!” Entrapta pushed her way to the front of the group, producing a small buzz saw and a sample jar. “I’ve been reading up on geological gastronomy!” 

”Uh, hey, Entrapta!” Adora intervened. “Did I ever tell you that Madame Razz knew some of the First Ones? Like, personally?” 

“What? Really?” Entrapta turned toward Adora in surprise, and then back to the old woman with renewed interest. She peered through a pair of multi-lensed goggles and raised her eyebrows. “Though that would explain all the tachyons in here. Quick, how many temporal causalities am I holding up?” 

“Ah! You’re a sharp one, deary!” Razz laughed. 

Entrapta shook her hands and pulled a recorder from her pocket. “Aah! You — you’re a walking quantum event! Tell me _everything!_ ” 

And in her own way, Razz did. As they chattered back and forth, Adora looked between the old witch and the scientist and wondered why she hadn’t introduced the two of them sooner. 

“That’s a handsome, strapping lad you’ve got there!” Razz whispered conspiratorially to Entrapta. “Does he have a brother?” 

Entrapta smirked. 

“You have a brain that could warm my heart,” Skeletor said. “If I had a heart!” 

* * *

Much to Catra’s consternation, their next stop did not take them out of the Whispering Woods. While Entrapta and Skeletor tuned up the tank, George and Lance cheerfully embarrassed their youngest son in front of his friends. 

“We’re delighted by your _presents!_ ” George punned as his husband passed out mugs of hot cocoa. Hordak took two and carefully decanted the extra into several tiny thermoses. 

Bow handed his fathers a huge stack of neatly handwritten pages. “We brought these for you — Adora’s been helping me translate some of the First Ones records you found at the ruins!” 

“It’s… not very exciting,” Adora admitted. “There’s a _lot_ of complaining about this one guy who just sold really terrible etherium.” 

Despite this, George and Lance seized upon the pages and flipped through them eagerly, talking over each other in excitement. While they sat and chatted energetically with Adora about what the writings contained, Glimmer dragged Catra away to show off her increasing knowledge of the expansive library. 

This left Bow standing alone with Hordak for the first time in the night. The archer and the ex-lord looked at one another, the former desperately searching for something to say while the latter gently nursed his cocoa. They both seemed to sense that some sort of social interaction would be appropriate, but were entirely unsure of what that ought to be.

“Excuses, excuses! I’m tired of all your excuses!” Skeletor yelled from outside. “Fix the problem and go!”

Hordak cleared his throat. “Entrapta tells me you are the one who gave my brother his rather... derivative name,” he tried after a moment. 

Bow made a noise. 

“He thanks you for it,” Hordak said sincerely. 

“I’m sorry! I mean, what?” Bow cautiously opened his eyes. 

“He considers it an essential part of his journey to freedom from Prime’s grasp.” Hordak studied his claws with a careful expression. “Many have encouraged him to take on a more singular moniker. I am among them. Perhaps someday he will. But for now, it is as beloved to him as that theatrical lizard seems to be.” 

“You’re… welcome?” Bow ventured. 

“You are a highly competent engineer,” Hordak stated. “I once mistook your work for Entrapta’s. When we were still enemies, that is.” He hesitated. “I… am pleased that we are not enemies any longer.” 

“Thank you?”

Hordak bowed.

Skeletor popped his head around the door.

“Get a move on, you slugs!” he called. “Hurry! Faster, faster!”

* * *

Eventually, the Wrapper Tank rolled to a stop at the front gates of Bright Moon palace, precisely where it had begun. There was only one visit left to make. 

“Micah! It’s so good to see you!” Entrapta chirped. “How have things been since we both lived at the mercy of techno-organic island monstrosities?” 

“Quieter,” Micah remarked. “And my food doesn’t get stolen nearly as often.” He smiled. “It’s good to see you, too.”

“I made you She-Ra Day crackers!” Entrapta exulted, holding out a pile of shiny paper cylinders. “They’re an old Dryl tradition, ever since last year. When you pull the ends, tiny snacks come out! And I’ve improved _these_ ones with twenty percent more explosives!” 

“It should be quite a blast!” Skeletor chuckled. “Enjoy the fireworks!”

Gingerly taking the armload of gifts and setting them down as carefully as she possibly could, Castaspella welcomed everyone into a warm and cozy den. She and Micah had lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and were decorating a fir tree with glowing light-charms. A small table held a large platter of cookies, which Adora immediately set about devouring. 

Skeletor paused at the door. “Tell me a riddle!” he demanded. 

Castaspella looked confused. “Excuse me?” 

“He thinks it’s what sorceresses do,” Entrapta told her. “You gotta humor him!” 

“Oh.” Castaspella tapped her chin. “Well, in that case, um… why did the twigget cross the road?” 

Skeletor considered this for a great deal of time before surrendering. “Oh, I’m horrible at riddles,” he groused. “Who’s good at riddles here?”

However, everyone else had already settled in around the fire, tired from a long night of bauble bombardment.

“What do you think of our She-Ra Day decorations?” Castaspella asked proddingly. “Micah wanted a fake tree, but I set him straight on _that_. Honestly, I don’t know _how_ my brother survived on Beast Island without me.”

“You certainly would have helped scare the monsters away,” said Micah. 

“Y’know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling,” Adora thought out loud. “Could you imagine me with, like, a long-lost First Ones twin? We’d kick so much butt!”

Hordak, Bow, Micah, and Castaspella all shared a look that spoke to something universal. 

“It’s a mixed bag. Casta used to trick me into stealing food for her,” Micah complained. “Pretended it was a game and I got more points if our parents didn’t see me sneak into the kitchen.”

“He hit me with a tree branch once, you know,” Castaspella responded.

“I did no such thing!” Micah argued. “All I did was lead your horse under a tree. It’s not _my_ fault it had remarkably low hanging branches. Or that you didn’t duck in time.”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Bow cut in, “I think what Micah and Castaspella are _trying_ to say is that despite their differences they get along _now_ and they’re glad to still have each other after all this time.” He glanced at Hordak. “...Even if they used to be enemies.” 

Micah nodded sagely. “That is _precisely_ what I meant,” he lied. 

While they continued with their conversation, Glimmer noticed that Catra was standing alone at the far side of the room, her back to the others, staring at a small portrait of Angella hung above the door. 

“Fascinating,” Skeletor said. “That little insect is feeling sorry for itself!”

Glimmer whispered something to her father and stood up to approach the fretting feline. “Hey, everything okay?” she asked. “You’ve seemed off a lot tonight. You didn’t even laugh when I showed you that book of dirty First Ones jokes in George and Lance’s library.” 

“Huh?” Catra looked up, surprised to have company. “I guess so. Maybe. I don’t know. I mean… are you really sure I should be here?” 

“Well, it’s all Adora has been talking about for the past week, so yeah, pretty sure.” 

Catra shook her head. “No, I mean here _at all_. Being happy, instead of rotting in a dungeon somewhere.” She scowled. “I know we’ve talked about it, but I just… I did _so much_ bad stuff, back in the Horde. I hurt people. I was _awful_ to Adora. I’m even the reason your mom…”

Catra trailed off. A deep gulf of silence stretched between her and Glimmer. The queen appeared pensive. 

“I’ve done some really bad things too,” Glimmer said eventually. “So I guess maybe I’m the wrong person to ask?” She gave a lopsided smile. 

“But what do you do when people _hate_ you? And you _deserve_ it?”

Glimmer looked concerned. “I don’t think anyone here hates you. Not currently, anyway. Where’s all this coming from?”

“I’d hate me if I were you,” Catra quietly admitted. 

“Maybe. But I’m not you, and you’re not me.” Glimmer turned away and hugged herself. “I’m always going to miss my mom. And it’s always going to hurt. But… I don’t think it’s much use to make that hurt worse by hating you.” She looked back up. “I think anyone can make up for a mistake, as long as they really know it _was_ a mistake. I _hope_ so, anyway.”

Catra scratched her head. “So, what, feeling _bad_ means that I’m _good?_ ” 

“Something like that,” Glimmer giggled. “Seriously though, there’s responsibility in this. We never stop working on it.”

“Was that a royal ‘we’?” Catra quipped. 

“No, it goes for both of us. All of us. I mean it.” Glimmer gazed around the room. “Mistakes… never really get completely fixed, you know. It took me a long time to get that. But we _can_ grow something better and stronger with the lessons we learn from them.”

The queen smiled again. “Besides, I’m happier being friends. Look at us all!” 

Catra did. 

Everyone, in one form or another, was relaxing around the glow of the fireplace. Entrapta and Imp knelt by the hearth, doing something with chestnuts and an acetylene torch. Hordak and Micah sat on the couch, swapping horror stories about Shadow Weaver. Bow watched closely as Castaspella instructed him in a new knitting pattern. And Adora appeared to be trading pleasantries with Skeletor as though they were age-old friends. 

“Here, She-Ra! A gift!” Skeletor said. He held out a freshly-baked doomberry pie.

Catra laughed. Suddenly feeling lighter, she went to join them. Glimmer followed. And the great world spun on. 

* * *

Entrapta clapped her hair. “Thanks for coming, Catra! This was loads of fun!” 

It was early morning and they were all going their separate ways again. Glimmer had already dragged a dozing Bow back to the palace, while Catra and Adora disembarked in front of the small home they shared together. 

“The mission was a great success,” Hordak agreed as Entrapta leaned into his side. “You showed exemplary courage in the field.” 

“Thank you,” Catra said, and meant it. 

Adora, gazing at the sky in contemplation next to her, suddenly realized that the stars weren’t the only things twinkling. 

“Entrapta?” she asked. “You know the space tree?” 

“The large plant growth that overtook Horde Prime’s flagship when She-Ra defeated him and which remains in low Etheria orbit as a constant reminder of the power of love and healing? Yes, I’m familiar with it.”

“Did you put _lights_ on it?”

Entrapta beamed. “Yeah, little blinky ones! Or at least they look little from here. They actually have a diameter of about one Darla each. Alternating current, naturally. Aren’t they great?” 

“You know,” Adora smiled, “I really think they are.” Catra concurred.

They turned and went home together, which left Entrapta and Hordak to return to the Wrapper Tank hand in hand, relaxing into each other’s arms as they sat and shared a tiny thermos of hot cocoa. Under Emily’s supervision, Skeletor and Imp drove the tank back to Entrapta’s Bright Moon lab, and only argued over the steering wheel once along the way. 

As soon as they returned, Hordak sought out their bed and fell gratefully into the soft sheets. Entrapta made to follow him, but before she did so she pulled Skeletor aside with one ponytail, hands hiding something behind her back. 

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Skeletor questioned. 

“Skeletor, you’ve been a big help over the past year,” Entrapta said to the spindly robot. “And I wanted to say thank you. So, I made you another present. You deserve to have a helper too!” 

She pulled her hands from behind her back and revealed a lop-eared robot puppy with wide and innocent eyes. It sat up in her arms and fixed Skeletor with a curious gaze. 

“His name is Relay! What do you think?”

Skeletor gasped in surprise, reaching out to take the robotic canine. “Even Hordak doesn’t have anything like this!” he gushed in a joyous tone. 

The puppy wagged its tail and let out a tiny synthesized bark. It licked Skeletor’s face. 

Skeletor hummed happily. “This is perfect!”

Above them, the stars and the lights shone brightly. And even Skeletor, despite his better instincts, was merry. The world was at peace. 

“A season of love? Caring? Joy? Ugh! Very clever, you muscle-bound moron,” Skeletor conceded. He patted Relay on the head. “Another time, She-Ra! Another time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my lawfully wedded lab partner for the "Loo-Kee on a Ledge" and "improved She-Ra Day crackers" jokes.
> 
> This was originally going to be called "Hordak and Skeletor: A She-Ra Day Special" but the cast just kept expanding and now here we are. I enjoyed writing some characters I hadn't before!
> 
> Incidentally, back in the library Hordak means "derivative" in the linguistic sense, not the derogatory one, but he also doesn't know that Bow doesn't know that. 
> 
> Relay the robo-puppy originally appeared for the first (and only) time in the 1985 He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special. He loved Skeletor then and he loves him now. 
> 
> Whatever holidays you do or don't celebrate, thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a splendid season! I treasure every comment and I'm grateful for any enjoyment these stories may have brought you. Expect the next one around summertime. 
> 
> Myaah!


	10. Romeo and Skeletor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double Trouble needs dating advice. The Super Pal Trio is here to help.

“Remember,” Wrong Hordak recited, “recovery comes from connection!” 

Several hands went up. Most belonged to clones. This was a common and welcome sight in Wrong Hordak’s Ex-Horde Therapy Group. 

“And no,” Wrong Hordak continued, anticipating everyone’s question, “that does _not_ necessarily mean romantic connection, or even connection with another sentient being. It means that in order to heal our traumas, we must be a part of the world around us, and acknowledge the world as a part of us.” 

Most of the hands went down. Thoughtful murmurs rippled through the crowd. It was the end of another day of helping and healing. With a few more words of wisdom Wrong Hordak closed the meeting, and the assembled members began to stand and make their way out of the room. Most seemed sanguine and cheerful, but one stayed seated and watched the others wearily. 

Double Trouble was the group’s newest and most skeptical member. They were _trying_ , they _really_ were, but it wasn’t easy. A lifetime of artful deception did not exactly lend itself to _sharing_ or _emotional honesty_. 

They had their reasons for being there, though.

Wrong Hordak, effervescent as ever, looked over and winked. “Another successful session, my most exalted paramour!” he told Double Trouble proudly. “Now then, I must consult with Perfuma about the itinerary for next week’s field trip to Mystacor. But _tonight_ , I hope you are prepared to be dazzled by my famous quiche!” He beamed brightly. 

Double Trouble worked very hard to maintain a calm expression while their stomach did acrobatic flip-flops. “My breath is _bated_ , darling,” they finally managed, before scurrying off to the other side of the room. 

The thespian cursed, internally. It should _not_ be this difficult for a shapeshifter to hide a blush. 

Closer to the door, Hordak was showing Adora something on a data pad. Double Trouble wended a wide circle around them, even as Adora gasped in surprise and began babbling what certainly _seemed_ like juicy gossip. They simply weren’t in the mood. 

Outside, Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta were strolling away together, while the scorpion princess spoke excitedly about something called _‘Super Pal Trio Game Night.’_ Double Trouble pricked their ears — this, perhaps, was a more promising prospect for their problem. 

They took a step forward, and were immediately interrupted. 

“Where do you think _you’re_ going, hmm?”

Besides Perfuma, Wrong Hordak’s other assistant for his therapy group was ‘Skeletor,’ one of Entrapta’s eccentric bots. Once, he had been a part of Horde Prime’s drone army. Now, he had a nasally voice, a talent for self improvement, and a puppy. 

The puppy’s name was Relay. 

“How’s this for a surprise?” Skeletor said, holding Relay and patting the robotic canine gently on the head. “I’m considering putting him on a leash!”

“That’s very nice dear, but you’ll have to excuse me,” Double Trouble deflected. “I’ve got _issues_ right now.” They began to move past the skinny robot, before a thought occurred to them. 

“Actually, you might be able to help me out with something. Tell me, how do you feel about aiding and abetting identity fraud? I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Mehehehehe! Just like the old days!” Skeletor cackled. “All right, you’ve got yourself a deal! What’s your plan?” 

* * *

_Shadows Over Salineas_ was going swimmingly. 

It wasn’t really a game _night,_ more of a game _afternoon_ , but that hadn’t stopped Scorpia from bringing a tower of boxes into Entrapta’s Bright Moon lab. An entire world of cardboard and plastic was spread out before the three women. 

“I am _going_ to finish this Sword of Protection quest!” Catra angrily declared as she moved her game piece back and forth. “No matter _how_ long it takes!”

“Okay, but the Evil Horde already has a lot of points at the Princess Alliance table,” Entrapta cautioned, gesturing to another part of the board. “Plus they’ve got a _lot_ of tanks in front of the castle.” 

“Anyone want to help me battle the Laughing Dragon?” Scorpia spoke up from behind a clawful of cards. “I’m gonna —” 

She was cut short as the laboratory door suddenly opened and Skeletor slouched inside, wearing a miserable expression. 

“This is the worst day of my _life!_ ” Skeletor moaned, flopping bodily across the table. Game pieces flew in every direction and clattered on the floor. The other three exchanged nervous glances. 

Catra tossed her cards aside. “Well, I guess this is what we’re doing now. What’s the matter, boneface?” 

“You’ve got to help me!” Skeletor blubbered. “When are you goody-goody fools going to understand? I care for no-one and no-one cares for me!” He shook his fists and produced a rose tied to a card covered in cartoony hearts. 

Scorpia tilted her head. “Is that a flower?” 

“It is a flower!” Skeletor howled. “The bitter rose! From a _secret admirer._ ” He clutched it to his chest lovingly. 

“Seriously?” Catra floundered. “Does somebody actually have a _crush_ on that goof?” 

“I know it sounds strange,” Skeletor retorted. “Never mind that!”

Entrapta rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “So, to be clear. You’re happy about getting the rose?”

“Yes, I am!” Skeletor shouted. 

“But it’s a problem because…?”

“I live to be bad!” Skeletor whined. “How else can I act when I’m surrounded by such fools?” The robot swooned again. “ _Nice?_ Doesn’t sound like much fun to me! Yuck! What a disgusting idea!” 

“Oh, I get it!” Entrapta grinned. “Skeletor needs us to teach him about love!”

Scorpia’s eyes sparkled. “A Super Pal Trio rescue mission? For _love?_ I accept without any further questions!” 

“Wait, wait,” Catra protested. “Stop. No. None of this makes _any_ sense. Entrapta, is this another one of your secret friendship experiments?” 

“Nuh-uh,” the scientist shook her head. “But... it is unexpected. Skeletor, are you _sure_ you’re feeling all right?”

Skeletor looked uncomfortable. “Certainly! Um… _Tell me about the loneliness of good! Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?_ ”

Entrapta seemed suspicious. “Hang on,” she said, peering more closely at Skeletor. “Something isn’t quite right here.”

At that moment, Skeletor walked into the room, again. This time he was holding Relay and a fresh armload of barbarian romance novels. 

“I can’t do it,” he admitted with an apologetic shrug, sheepishly handing back the books. “And, you do _not_ look like me.”

“Oh phoo. I went too far, didn’t I?” the other Skeletor sighed, in a completely different voice. “I _knew_ this wasn’t going to work.”

In a flash of dark light, Skeletor morphed into a decidedly more reptilian shape. Double Trouble huffed and tossed their hair back. “Well, that was _different_ , at least. I’ve never done a robot before!” They paused. “Not in that sense, anyway.” 

Catra started out of her chair. “What are _you_ doing here?” she demanded. 

“Just what I said.” Double Trouble sat back down on the table and nonchalantly studied their nails. “I need advice. _Romantic_ advice. And since you three are all half of some of the oddest couples on the planet, I thought I might start here.”

“Okay,” Entrapta said, already beginning to take notes. “But you’ve come to me for that before. Why the disguise?”

Double Trouble looked away and muttered something. 

“What was that?”

“I said it’s because I was _embarrassed,_ all right?” Double Trouble crossed their arms and pouted. “This is _not_ something I usually need help with. _I’m_ supposed to be the one who’s cool and in control. I’m _Double Trouble!_ But now I keep _feeling_ things! In my mind, and my body! Making my guts act all weird, and my brain stop working, and… gah!”

“Those are called emotions, Dee Tee,” Catra deadpanned. 

“Plus, you and Wrong Hordak have been going steady for a while now,” Scorpia added. “What’s the matter? Oh no! Have you lost… _the spark?_ ” She gasped, claws to her face. 

“Just the opposite. Wrongie is _perfect!_ He’s always in a good mood, he always wants to spend time with me, he always knows the right thing to say, and he’s just so darn _cute!_ All the time!” Double Trouble’s face sank. “And sooner or later he’s going to realize that I’m _not_ perfect, and it’s all just an act.”

“You don’t _have_ to be perfect,” Entrapta pointed out, looking up from her notes. 

“This is _just_ like what happens in _Romeo and Julian!_ ” Double Trouble wailed, ignoring her. 

“What?” asked Skeletor.

Double Trouble sniffled. “It’s a play. Someone in the Bright Moon army wrote it and it’s been getting _rave_ reviews in all the theatre magazines — oh, but that’s not important! We’re talking about _me!_ ” The lizard flailed their hands helplessly. “What I mean is, it’s like we’re from two different _worlds!_ ” 

“What, Horde World and Etheria?” Scorpia guessed. 

“I’m thinking more Innocent Baby World and Cynical Opportunist World,” Catra cut in. 

“Hey!” Double Trouble snapped. “I am _not_ a cynic! Anymore!” 

They turned to Scorpia. “But I can still make it work! I just need more _research._ Your girlfriend is all about this self-care nonsense. How do you _deal_ with that?”

Scorpia got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Yeah, Perfuma’s pretty great. She’s kind, and patient with me, and she knows all _kinds_ of meditation stuff, which is good because hey, funny story, it turns out I’ve actually got a _lot_ of pent-up anxiety from —” 

“Ugh! Useless! Next!” Double Trouble pointed to Entrapta. “You! _Space bats._ How do they even _work?_ ” 

“Good question! I could share some of my research on Hordak with you,” Entrapta suggested. “It’s more of a hobby though, so I’ve only got a few terabytes of data. Did you know their species has an entire sub-language of ear movements? It’s fascinating!”

Double Trouble paled. “Um. Do you have an abridged version, or…?”

“Look,” Catra interrupted. “I think you’re coming at this the wrong way. First off, you can’t control what other people do or feel.” 

Double Trouble narrowed their eyes. “That’s a bit rich coming from you, kitten.” 

“I have been doing a _lot_ of self-reflection the last few years, _okay?_ ” Catra growled back. “And trust me, trying to be the coolest, the strongest, the best? It doesn’t work.” 

She looked across at Entrapta and Scorpia, and fiddled with the wedding ring on her finger. “Sooner or later you have to show your real self. Even if that’s uncomfortable. You can’t connect with someone that way until you’re willing to be weak in front of them.” 

Double Trouble regarded Catra for a long time while their face registered a range of unreadable emotions. 

“ _Fine,_ ” they finally groaned, defeated. “But can you at _least_ help me think of something nice to do for our dinner tonight?” 

Catra smiled. Entrapta and Scorpia squeaked in excitement.

“For that, you’ll need my help!” said Skeletor. “I’ve longed for this moment!” 

* * *

Wrong Hordak looked up brightly from his cooking. “You are here! Come in, come in!” He swept Double Trouble up in an enormous hug. 

The lizard blushed and did not try to hide it. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world, darling.” With a flourish they revealed a rose and a box of distinctively tiny chocolates, which Wrong Hordak accepted gleefully. 

“Now then, why don’t I stand back and let you impress me for a while?” 

Wrong Hordak glowed with excitement. 

“Impressive?” Skeletor said, somewhere far away. “You boob, it was _spectacular!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double Trouble had everyone fooled until they accidentally quoted Skeletor from the live-action movie instead of the 80s cartoons. 
> 
> “Romeo and Julian” was written by General Juliet. It’s a romantic comedy and everyone lives. 
> 
> Skeletor will return. Thank you for reading!


End file.
